Their Adventures Made Known
by flch1cks123
Summary: Umbridge decides that she wants to prove that Harry and Dumbledore are lying and so, with the help of an investigation by the Unspeakables, reads out their results in the form of books. Hogwarts reads the Harry Potter books! Rated for mild language.
1. They're Going to Do What?

**A/N:** I changed things around a little bit time-wise. In the books the D.A. didn't come about until Umbridge had been made High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. I decided to have Hermione, Harry, and Ron start it earlier than that so it was started while she was still just a professor. Also, Seamus decided to believe Harry over his mother and the Dailey Prophet but he still questions some things. Please let me know what you think and if I have made any mistakes. Thank you for reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with him. I wish I did though, because trust me there would have been a lot of changes!

Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were standing in the Gryffindor common room waiting for Neville Longbottom so they could head down to breakfast on this lovely Friday morning.

It was Harry's fifth year of school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he was not enjoying it much. After spending the summer having nightmares about the third task, the death of Cedric Diggory, and the rebirth of Lord Voldemort, Harry had gotten to school to find that the Ministry had finally triumphed in their quest to influence Hogwarts by sending their own Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge was the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. She was a short, plump woman who wore nothing but pink and reminded people of a toad. She spoke in a sweet girlish voice that got on everyone's nerves and, to Harry's anger, spent most of her time in class doing nothing except telling her students to read chapters out of the Ministry approved textbook on DADA theory. They did not practice spells or anything of that nature because according to her and the Ministry, Voldemort was not back and they did not need to learn anything that would help defend themselves because there was no need for it.

Hermione and Ron had approached Harry about starting the D.A. but Harry could not make up his mind until he served detentions with Umbridge. Harry had already had a few detentions with the Professor after he spoke up in class telling her and his classmates that Voldemort _was_ back and the Ministry denying it was allowing him to build up his forces. During his detentions she made him write with a blood quill "I will not tell lies". It was now etched in the back of his hand and, according to Hermione, would leave a permanent scar there if he didn't find some way to stop using it.

This galvanized Harry into saying yes to the rest of the trio about the D.A. They had already met and had their first meeting where Harry taught them the Disarming spell. Since that first meeting the rest of the D.A. had been coming up to Harry in the halls and telling him what a great idea it was and how much it helped them. They also wanted to know when the next meeting would be. Harry told them that it would probably be next week sometime but they wanted to find out what the big announcement was that was to be made this morning and whether it would affect anything.

They had been told that there would be a special announcement made at breakfast that morning by Professor Umbridge and no one was looking forward to it at all. The trio had been researching ideas for the next spell Harry would teach along with trying to guess as to what the announcement would entail.

Neville came down the stairs and after greeting them they all made their way down to the great hall. Once there, they headed for their seats at the Gryffindor table. They saw Seamus and Dean sitting with Parvati and Lavender and took a seat with them. They all said their good mornings and then the topic of the special announcement came up. They all made suggestions as to what they thought it might consist of as they ate. When breakfast was done, Professor Umbridge stood up.

"Hem hem." Professor Umbridge cleared her throat. The students in the great hall continued to chat and eat, completely ignoring her attempts to get their attention.

"Hem hem!" she tried again, a little louder this time. The professor received a few glances of curiosity from the students but no more. The rest of the staff at the table, excluding Professor Dumbledore, started snickering quietly under their breath at her inability to get the students attention.

"Please Professor, allow me." said Professor Dumbledore who then stood up without waiting for her agreement. The great hall immediately quieted down and all the students turned to face him. "I believe Professor Umbridge has an announcement to make this morning if you would all give her your attention please." he said. He then sat down and turned to the professor with a twinkle in his eye.

"Thank you Professor Dumbledore." she said in the most saccharine voice anyone had ever heard. She then turned to face the rest of the hall and the students in it.

Before she could speak though, the great hall doors opened to allow several people to come in. These included Minister Cornelius Fudge, Director of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones, several aurors including Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks, and four people who had grey cloaks on that completely covered any identifying things about them including whether they were male or female.

"Minister Fudge, you're here just in time!" squealed Professor Umbridge.

"Course I am. Not going to miss this for anything," said Fudge while sending a triumphant look at Dumbledore and Harry. "I even brought along Madame Bones so we can expedite the process once this is all over."

The staff and students were all looking at each other with confusion while Dumbledore merely sat there and twinkled.

"Cornelius, Madame Bones what a pleasant surprise. I hope you and your aurors had a good journey here to Hogwarts?" exclaimed Professor Dumbledore.

"We did, thank you Albus," said Madame Bones after the Minister refused to speak up. "Shall we get on with it? I would like to know why I was called out here." she said in a stern voice.

"Of course Madame Bones," Professor Umbridge piped up in a sickly-sweet voice. "If you will allow me to continue?"

Professor Dumbledore conjured up some seats for the new arrivals at the staff table and then once more Professor Umbridge started to speak.

"Ever since the end of the Tri-Wizard tournament last year, certain people and one student in particular have been making outrageous claims that You-Know-Who was back." The students started to mumble to themselves and the people next to them. Harry exchanged concerned and questioning glances with Ron and Hermione but they both just shrugged in confusion.

"The Minister and I decided to quell these lies once and for all and had several of the ministry Unspeakables investigate what has been going on here at Hogwarts for the last four years. The ones doing the investigation are these four people in the grey cloaks. They have decided to condense down what they learned into a series of books which will be read aloud right now so that everyone will know what really happened. There is one for each year that Mr. Potter has attended Hogwarts and will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that You-Know-Who is NOT back and he and his little friends are merely lying." she stated while sending a smug glance at Professor Dumbledore.

All of the students in the great hall went into an uproar over the news. They were turning to neighbors and friends with excitement over what they were about to hear.

Harry had paled and turned to Hermione. "She can't do that can she? I mean it's not legal surely?"

"I don't know Harry," wailed Hermione. "Stand up and ask Madame Bones if she can do anything about it."

Harry stood up. "Madame Bones," he called over the students in the great hall. "Is this legal? I mean, she can't do that can she?" he sent a pleading glance at the stern woman at the staff table who was glaring at Umbridge and Fudge.

"Unfortunately they can Mr. Potter," she stated. "There is no law against presenting evidence of an investigation in this manner. They will merely state they are doing it this way instead of giving an interview to the newspapers but it basically amounts to the same thing. Although for the record, I am against what you are about to do Dolores." she said, glaring at the Professor. "I also want a sworn oath from you, Fudge and the Unspeakables that what is about to be read will be taken as truth no matter how much you dislike it."

Umbridge and Fudge winced a bit then looked at each other and the Unspeakables warily. The Four people in grey cloaks nodded their heads, and proceeded to give their oaths in indistinguishable voices. Fudge and Umbridge followed their examples after hesitating for a bit.

Harry sat down, still pale, and now shaking. "Oh God," he stated in a quiet voice. "They are going to know everything!"

"Well maybe it is a good thing" said Hermione in a shaky voice as if trying to convince herself of what she was saying.

"Good thing," piped up Ron, who was as pale as Harry. "What about all the illegal things we did? Norbert in first year, Polyjuice potion in second year, Sirius Black in third year? Need I go on…?" he trailed off.

The three looked at each other with horror. "We're going to die or go to Azkaban!" they all said together and proceeded to sit there pale and shaky, ignoring all the people who were throwing questioning glances at them.

"Very well. I will start reading first." stated Madame Bones, taking the books out of Umbridge's hands.

"The first book is called **Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone** and the title of the first chapter is **The Boy Who Lived. **Let's get started and get this over with." said Madame Bones with some disgust in her voice.


	2. The Boy Who Lived

**A/N:** Thank you for your responses! I tried to do Hagrid's accent but it may come off weird so please bear with me. Also I will try and update as fast as possible but being that I am going to school full time along with working a graveyard shift and sleeping whenever I find time, the updates may not come as fast as I would like them.

**Disclaimer:** Once again… I do not own Harry Potter! I sometimes just dream I do.

**CHAPTER ONE - THE BOY WHO LIVED.**

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"Who wants to be normal?" Fred and George chorused.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"Being strange is not nonsense," cried the Weasley twins, "look at Professor Dumbledore!"

Both Umbridge and Fudge had looks of disgust on their faces while the rest of the staff and visitors where laughing quietly.

"If you are going to continue to comment after every sentence you will be serving detention cleaning the day's potion mistakes out of the potion classroom with me Weasleys!" barked Professor Snape.

"We'll be good!" whimpered the twins.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"Question. What are drills?" asked a Slytherin first year.

"Drills are tools made by muggles. They are used to make holes in materials so that the materials can be fastened together to build things." answered Hermione.

"Huh, weird." commented the same first year.

Many of the purebloods nodded their heads in agreement.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. **

"They sound like an attractive couple." Lavender Brown said quietly to Parvati Patil and they both snickered under their breath.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"He was small?" said Harry, commenting first the first time while laughing.

Ron, Hermione, and the twins all laughed earning some confused looks from everybody else in the Great Hall.

"Just wait and see." said Harry while trying to control his laughter.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"What's wrong with the Potters?" asked several people.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, **

"Well, that's not very nice." commented Susan Bones to her friend Hannah Abbot.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish **

"That's not a word" several Ravenclaws exclaimed at the same time.

"It is to the Dursleys" said Harry with a grimace.

**as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. **

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"Ooh Harry," whined the twins. "We want to be a 'child like that!'. Can you teach us how?"

"You are the type of children she had in mind when that comment was made!" smirked Harry.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,**

"Why would you want to pick out the most boring thing you owned to wear?" came Ginny's voice for the first time.

"They consider anything beyond boring to be abnormal and since their greatest ambition is to be considered normal…" Harry trailed off.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"Lovely child!" commented Professor Sprout to Madame Pomfrey, who nodded in agreement.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. "Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map.**

"Minnie!" yelled the twins.

"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley! Do NOT call me that!" Professor McGonagall said while glaring fiercely at the twins.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. **

"They can if they're McGonagall" said Ron under his breath.

Both Harry and Hermione snickered quietly.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

"What's wrong with cloaks?" asked a Hufflepuff pureblood to her muggleborn friend.

"Muggles don't wear them. Haven't for hundreds of years" she said.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. **

**They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. **

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.**

"Why not?" questioned a first year pureblood.

"Muggles don't use owls for post," said Hermione. "Most muggles have never seen an owl except in pictures."

Umbridge sniffed and turned her nose up at this.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"You mean he actually exercised?" exclaimed Harry.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their son, Harry" Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"I wish he dropped dead!" muttered Harry under his breath.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone,**

"What's a telly-phone?" questioned several purebloods.

"Telephones are one of the ways muggles communicate. You guys know what two-way communication mirrors are right?" asked Hermione.

All the purebloods in the great hall nodded their heads looking interested, some in spite of themselves.

"Well, a telephone is just like that except they can't see each other only hear each other. Also, instead of a telephone only connecting to one other phone like the mirrors, it can connect to any other phone in the world as long as you have the corresponding phone number to go with it. Kind of like the floo. And you don't have to be kneeling down and sticking your head in a fireplace to do it. Muggles can take phones anywhere just like the mirrors wizards use."

"Whoa… Sweet… Cool…" shouted out several people.

"How about I make a list of all the muggle things mentioned and once we are done, you can come and ask me or any of the other muggleborns?" said Professor Burbage getting agreeable nods from the students.

Fudge looked like he was about to comment but decided against it.

**and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. **

"Well at least he realizes." said Harry quietly while snickering.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. **

"They didn't know their nephew's name?" Professor Sprout said with indignation in her voice.

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... **

"There is nothing wrong with Lily Potter/my mum!" shouted Professor Snape and Harry at the same time.

Harry looked at Snape with bemusement but Snape just avoided his gaze.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks...**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"Professor Flitwick, was that you?" questioned Harry.

"Why yes it was Mr. Potter" squeaked the Professor.

_'I still don't know how I managed to get my arms even halfway around him. He was HUGE!'_ thought Flitwick.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

The twins and their friend Lee Jordan screamed in horror at this.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"McGonagall!" shouted the twins.

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"Yeah. That's her alright. I recognize that stare anywhere" said the twins while shuddering along with the trio.

All five of them looked up to see McGonagall giving them the same stare now.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").**

"He sounds like he is going to be a spoiled brat." said Madame Pomfrey.

"He was and is." commented Harry dryly.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news: "And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin.**

**"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim." "Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight." Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair.**

**Shooting stars all over Britain. Owls flying by daylight. Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place. And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...**

"Looks like he is putting it together." Snape said quietly.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

'_I tried to pretend Lily didn't have a sister to.'_ thought Snape.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..." **

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd." Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?" **

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"Howard?" several people chorused with disgust in their voice.

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me." **

"I like my name being common. It's better than having a name like some of the people in the wizarding world have." said Harry while pointedly not looking at Draco Malfoy who sneered at him.

"Actually Mr. Potter, before you came along, no one to my knowledge had ever been named Harry before. However, once you became the Boy-Who-Lived many people decided to name their sons after you making Harry a rather common name now." stated McGonagall with a slight twitch to her lips.

Harry groaned before slamming his head to the table and muttering under his breath.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree." He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed.**

**While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there.**

**It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

"Why are they so adamant about no one knowing that they are related to your family Harry?" asked Cho Chang.

"The Dursleys hate magic with everything they are. They consider it freakish and abnormal so being related to it is a matter of deep shame. It's kind of like the Malfoy's finding out they are related to muggles but without the killing that would probably be involved." commented Harry.

"Mr. Potter!" yelled several of the teachers "That was completely uncalled for!"

"But true" stated Harry quietly to Hermione and Ron.

Across the hall, Draco couldn't decide whether he was angry at Potter for comparing his family to muggles or disgusted that Potter seemed to have been telling the truth. The fact that there were muggles out there who felt the same about the wizarding world as his family and a few others felt about the muggle world rather unnerved him.

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...**

**How very wrong he was.**

"Dun, dun, duuunnn." yelled the twins.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots.**

"Yeah Dumbledore!" shouted a good majority of the students.

Umbridge looked incensed while Fudge looked uncomfortable.

**His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

"Oh, I knew I was unwelcome but I didn't care at that point." said Dumbledore with an extra twinkle in his eye.

The great hall was filled with laughter at this point.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known." **

"Dumbledore always knows" commented a few people.

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. **

"I want one!" yelled the twins and several others in envy.

Professor Dumbledore just chuckled and said "I am afraid that is the only one being as how I made it myself."

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone.**

**Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"It's Dumbledore." said Harry wryly.

**"My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly." "You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here." Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently.**

**"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid.**

"Professor!" exclaimed several muggleborns in affront.

McGonagall had a tinge of pink on her cheeks and some shame in her eyes. "I am very sorry," she said "I have no idea why I said something like that."

Malfoy sneered but it was half-hearted. He was still thinking about Potter's comparison of his family and these Dursley people.

**They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense." **

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years." **

"Whoa… I didn't know the war went on that long!"

Several people were turning to ask their neighbors if it was true.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors." She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore." **

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?" **

**"A what." **

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of" **

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -" **

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name. All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort." **

Everyone except Dumbledore and Harry flinched at this.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was un-sticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.**

That is because it is just a name! And a made up one at that!" yelled Harry in frustration.

Many people threw him questioning looks but he merely said "Wait until next year."

**"I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have." **

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them." **

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs." **

"Ew. Old people flirting!" cried out a precocious first year with laughter in his voice.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying. About why he's disappeared. About what finally stopped him." It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. " Dumbledore bowed his head.**

As did Harry and quite a few people in the great hall.

**Professor McGonagall gasped. "Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..." **

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone.**

"Professor, at the time did you know how Harry stopped him?" asked Hermione.

"No, Ms. Granger. At this point in time I only knew that Voldemort's powers had been turned back on him and broken. I hadn't any time to do any actual investigating of what happened exactly." explained the Headmaster.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's - it's true." faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy. It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive."**

"That's what we would all like to know!" commented several people.

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know." **

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. **

**Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. **

"You have some cool gadgets Professor" the twins called out, trying to lighten some of the depression that had settled into the great hall.

"Why thank you Messrs. Weasley. I do try" chuckled Dumbledore.

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way." **

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places." **

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here." cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!" **

"I wish you had listened to Professor McGonagall Headmaster." said Harry in a depressed voice.

Several people including Ron and Hermione looked at him with worry in their faces.

**"It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter." **

"You wrote them a letter. Were you not planning on explaining to them in person what was going on and why you were leaving Harry with them?" shouted Hermione in an angry voice.

"Calm down 'Mione," exclaimed Ron. "There is nothing that can be done about it now."

**"A letter." repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter. **

"Exactly!" yelled Hermione.

**These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future **

"Oh Merlin! Please tell me there isn't a Harry Potter day!" Harry said looking up from his lap with an extremely worried expression on his face.

"No Mr. Potter. Somehow the paperwork was misplaced in the ensuing celebrations following that night." said Professor Dumbledore while avoiding Harry's eyes.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Harry stared at the ceiling with his hands raised in supplication.

Both Ron and Hermione burst out laughing while others around the great hall questioned whether or not Harry really did like his fame or not.

**- there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!" **

"Yeah, unfortunately." mumbled Harry under his breath.

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! **

"I wish everyone else would realize the truth of that statement," called Harry. "Famous for something he won't EVEN REMEMBER!" Harry then glared around the hall at the students who shifted about shamefully.

**Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it."**

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore." She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this." **

"I trust Hagrid with my life." stated the trio firmly.

**"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Several students snickered but Hagrid beamed at the trio who smiled brightly back at him.

Professor Umbridge on the other hand couldn't help but thinking _'Filthy half-breed. When this is over you'll be in Azkaban where you and all the other half-breeds belong!'_

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless.**

"I am sorry Hagrid." Professor McGonagall apologized to Hagrid with a slight blush on her face.

"Ah, i's alrigh' Professor." said Hagrid with a chuckle.

**He does tend to - what was that." **

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"Cool!" shouted several people. Even the purebloods were impressed.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Aaaawww!" cooed females throughout the hall including several of the professors.

Harry just blushed without looking up from his lap.

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle."**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir." **

**"No problems, were there?" **

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

The majority of the females cooed again.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

**"Is that where -." whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore." **

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. **

"Mine definitely hasn't come in handy lately." grumbled Harry.

**I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground. Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with." Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir." asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Hagrid…" said Harry in a fond voice while smiling at him.

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -" **

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"Do you mean to tell me that you left him on a doorstep in November with only a letter explaining what was going on? And you didn't even knock on the door to let the Dursley's know he was out there?" asked Hermione in a chilling and deadly voice.

Ron quickly scooted away from her while Harry tried to calm her down.

"Ms. Granger we put protective spells around him. He was in no danger." stated the Headmaster.

"Hermione, it's okay. I'm fine" said Harry in a placating voice.

Hermione sat down reluctantly but continued to glare daggers at Professor Dumbledore along with quite a few others in the hall.

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir." Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured.**

"Yeah, thanks Professor. Too bad that luck never reached me!" said Harry sarcastically under his breath but Ron and Hermione heard him and exchanged worried looks.

**He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

"And that is the end of the first chapter," said Madame Bones. "Who would like to read next?"

"I will!" said Professor Sinistra the Astronomy teacher.

The students in the great hall were talking excitedly to one another about what had happened already and what might happen next.

"**The Vanishing Glass"** read the professor.

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Harry.


	3. The Vanishing Glass

**A/N: **I decided to bring in Percy due to a request made by Anniriel, one of my reviewers. I thought it was a good idea for several reasons: 1) he could see that Harry never lied and 2) it would allow the Weasley's to knock some sense into him. Hopefully. Weasley's are nothing if not stubborn. By the way… I like Snape and Malfoy so I will probably have them be redeemed by the end of these books if possible. And I am going with the theory that Dorea Black was Harry's grandmother. Also, as of right now there will be no pairings but if there is one it won't be Harry/Ginny. I don't care for that pairing much. She will remain like a little sister to him for the most part. I hope that doesn't offend anybody. Now let's get on with it!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. If I did, I would not be writing this, I would be enjoying all the money I had made from writing the originals and planning my next book series.

**CHAPTER TWO - THE VANISHING GLASS.**

"Sweet," questioned the twins. "Harry are we going to hear about some of your accidental magic?"

"Professor," Harry said in a shaky voice without answering the twins, "is there any way we could skip this chapter?"

"No Mr. Potter. We must read every chapter!" said Umbridge. _'And prove you are a liar to everyone'_ she thought to herself.

Before Harry could reply to this, the great Hall doors swung open and admitted someone. Percy Weasley stepped in and started to walk up to the staff table.

"I apologize for interrupting Minister," said Percy in a pompous voice. "But there are several papers that really need your signature."

The rest of the Weasley's in the hall were glaring fiercely at Percy who tried to ignore them but you could see a slight tinge of pink to his ears.

"Quite alright Weatherby. Have a seat and listen while I get to these papers." said Fudge.

"What are we listening to?" asked Percy.

The twins piped up before Fudge had a chance to say anything "Well Weatherby, were listening to the investigation that our esteemed Minister and undersecretary made into the life of Harry. So sit down, shut up and listen!"

Percy's face flushed with anger but sat down anyway.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed.**

**Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets**

There were several snorts of laughter from the muggleborns and halfbloods as they pictured what Dudley looked like.

**- but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother.**

'_I do not care to hear how Potter was spoiled at his relatives house!'_ thought Professor Snape.

Although a little voice in the back of his mind told him that unless 'Tuney had changed quite a bit then he might not have been as spoiled as he thought.

**The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"Harry are you not there anymore?" asked Hannah Abbot with some relief.

"No Hannah. I am still there." said Harry in a glum voice.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

**"Up! Get up! Now!" Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"Well that's a great way to wake someone up." commented a few people sarcastically.

**"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"It wasn't a dream Harry!" called the twins.

"I know that now." stated Harry in a quiet voice. He was dreading that the book was going to mention where he slept.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet." she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." Harry groaned.**

"They made you cook? For how long have you been cooking for them Harry?" asked Hermione in a deadly quiet voice.

"Since I was about five or so." stated Harry with a wince.

Hermione and several of the other females in the hall growled but kept quiet.

**"What did you say." his aunt snapped through the door.**

**"Nothing, nothing..." Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten. Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on.**

"Did you really have to mention the spiders Mate?" said Ron with a shiver.

Harry didn't reply, only gave a sickly smile.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with alarm.

**Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, **

'_Oh Merlin, here we go!'_ thought Harry and started to shrink down in his seat.

**and that was where he slept.**

There was instant silence in the great hall before several people exploded.

"WHAT!" yelled Hermione, Ginny, McGonagall, Sprout, Pomfrey, and a few other females in the hall.

"What the bloody hell do you mean you slept in a cupboard!" shouted Hermione.

Harry, trying to make himself as small as possible, didn't answer her.

Up at the staff table, McGonagall and Hagrid were yelling at the Headmaster who was looking shocked and confused while Sprout and Pomfrey were conversing with each other in angry tones, comparing what would need to be done about getting Harry into the hospital wing immediately for a complete physical.

Snape was sitting there with a pale face but otherwise there was no expression. _'This is impossible,'_ he thought to himself _'Potter was supposed to be a spoiled brat and grow up just like his father, not be abused and have a home life like mine! If I am wrong about this, then what else have I been wrong about? I am a spy! I am supposed to be one of the most observant people. Why did I not notice this?'_

'_Because you refused to see beyond James'_ said a little voice in the back of his mind that sounded like Lily. _'You never actually gave Harry a chance. You had made up your mind long before you ever met him and didn't look at him as Harry, merely as a clone of James. Have you ever heard of him pulling a prank? Has he broken a rule that didn't involve doing something to help someone else?'__You need to take a step back and consider what Harry is like and not what James is like.'_

Snape decided to keep quiet for now but go ahead and follow the voice's recommendation. He started to think about his interactions with Potter since he first saw him and didn't like what he was seeing.

The students in the great hall were conversing with each other in quiet, shocked tones about what they had just heard and glaring at the book as if it would affect the Dursleys in it.

Malfoy was sitting there with a confused expression on his face. According to rumors, Potter was supposed to have grown up as a spoiled Prince but this sure didn't sound like it!

Umbridge had a small smirk on her face. _'At least someone knew how to treat the brat!'_ she thought with glee.

Percy, on the other hand, didn't know what to think. It was all to confusing comparing what he thought he knew to what was the actual truth.

Madame Bones, Tonks and Shacklebolt were all conversing quietly as they wrote down information on a piece of parchment that was to be used later in an investigation of the Dursleys. All three of them looked extremely angry and Tonks' hair was cycling through several "angry" colors as she wrote.

"Professor Sinistra can we keep going?" Harry said with worried looks at the females, especially Hermione and Ginny whose faces were red and looked about ready to explode.

"Very well Mr. Potter, but the staff will be speaking to you at the end of this chapter." said Sinistra in a shaky voice.

The rest of the staff nodded their heads firmly.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.**

Harry could see Professor Burbage scribbling with a shaky hand onto the parchment with the list of muggle things to talk about later.

**Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"He better not mean you!" stated Hermione and Ginny with rage in their voices.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, **

Several more growls could be heard throughout the hall from the females and a few males.

The twins could be seen scribbling on a piece of parchment with wicked looks on their faces along with their friend Lee Jordan.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"Seeker!" shouted the twins in an attempt to liven up the atmosphere.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

"Actually Mr. Potter, you most likely should be one of the tallest people in your age group. Both James and Lily were very tall for their age and you _should_ be the same. I will be checking on that when I get you to the hospital wing after this chapter." stated Madame Pomfrey who was fuming in her chair while fingering her wand and looking at Harry.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

"They didn't even get you your own clothes!" screeched Hermione.

"No, they said I was a burden and should be thankful for what I got." said Harry in a quiet and miserable voice. He hated all this attention that was now focused on his home life.

"Did they ever buy you anything new Mr. Potter," questioned Professor McGonagall with anger in her voice. "They were receiving a stipend for you each month."

"No Professor," said Harry who was almost fully under the table now. "They would tell me how much I cost them all the time."

"It seems I will need to speak with the goblins about your finances to." said the Professor with thin lips.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, **

"James!" several people muttered with fond looks on their faces.

**and bright green eyes. **

'_Lily!'_ thought Snape with longing.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

Even more growls were heard at this statement.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

"You liked your scar?" questioned Neville for the first time with amazement in his voice.

"That was before I knew what it meant. Until I found out, I thought it was cool because I was the only one who had it and it wasn't something the Dursleys could take away from me." said Harry in a depressed voice.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

"James and Lily die in a car crash!" several people yelled with rage in their voice.

**"And don't ask questions."**

"How are you supposed to learn if you don't ask questions?" several Ravenclaws asked with confusion and affront in their voices.

A few of the professors were wondering if this was why Potter never came up to them after class and asked for help.

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

Though the Professors had just had their thoughts confirmed it did not make them any happier. They were livid that they didn't notice what was going on and approach Harry to ask him if he needed any help.

Snape was wondering if this was one of the reasons why Potter never asked him any questions both in class and out of it although looking back his attitude might have had something to do with it.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Not going to work!" chorused the people who knew Harry with laughter in their voices.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

Harry attempted to flatten his hair once again to the amused gazes of people around the hall but it still had no effect.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Laughter broke out around the hall as people pictured a pig in a blonde wig.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents.**

**His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"Thirty-six," stated Draco in an amazed voice. "Seriously? Even I don't get that many"

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, its here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy." **

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.**

**Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

More glares were thrown at the book.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin. Two more presents. Is that all right''**

"Their encouraging his behavior?" questioned Sprout and Pomfrey in appalled voices.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..." **

"Merlin, this git can't even count!" shouted a Ravenclaw seventh year.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"I don't believe it," said Professor Sprout with indignation in her voice. "That is not how you raise a child!"

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR.**

Once again, Harry could see Professor Burbage scribbling down the muggle items mentioned.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

"They could at least use your name!" said Hermione.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

Non-cat lovers around the hall shuddered in revulsion while Hermione glared at Harry.

"I like cats 'Mione but that doesn't mean I want to look at pictures of the same ones every time I go over there." Harry said in a placating tone.

Hermione thought about it and then smiled a little.

**"Now what." said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this.**

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, **

"Harry, there is no need to be mean!" said Ginny.

"Sorry." said Harry in a sheepish voice.

**but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"The feeling is entirely mutual, I assure you." said Harry in a disgusted voice.

Several people looked at him with questions in their eyes.

"It will probably be mentioned in my third year." he said without elaborating.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

"I'll show them slugs" muttered Ginny under her breath.

The people near her scooted away in fear.

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne." **

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"But Harryikins, that would allow you to have fun and they can't do that" said the twins with sneers on their faces.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon. "And come back and find the house in ruins." she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"Just cauldrons!" said Snape under his breath.

McGonagall heard him though and glared at him.

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "...and leave him in the car..."**

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..." **

"What are you," Hermione asked. "A dog?"

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

The students in the hall muttered under their breath although Harry managed to pick up a few words like "Spoiled… Brat… Git."

**"Dinky Duddydums,**

The laughter in the great hall was the loudest anybody had heard in a while at this nickname.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

Again, growls and glares were sent towards the book.

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Well of course," said one Slytherin to another. "Can't be seen crying in front of the friends."

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

Harry was looking at Ginny and Hermione worriedly. They were fingering their wands and glaring at the book like it was the Dursleys.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly."**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"Whoo-hooh," yelled the twins "Go accidental magic!"

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

There were some angry mutterings at this.

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

There were several growls but Tonks perked up at this.

"Hey Harry," she questioned with excitement in her voice. "How many times have you had a hair cut?"

"Usually one or two times a month since I was five." Harry said after some thought.

"And it always looked like you had never got it cut as soon as you got home?" she said with even more excitement.

"Yeah…" Harry trailed off in confusion which was shared by the majority of the students.

"Well…," Tonks was literally bouncing in her seat. "You know I am a Black and a Metamorphagus right?"

"Uh-huh." he said, although there were several startled looks around the room, mainly from the purebloods and especially from Draco.

"The Metamorphagus genes run in the Black family and your grandmother was Dorea Black who was a second cousin to my mum Andromeda and Malfoy's mum Narcissa. You might have a little bit of Metamorphagus talent. It probably won't be the full talent like mine," she said while demonstrating her pig snout.

There was startled snorts of laughter at this show.

"But you might be able to make a few changes like hair and eye color," she said with glee in her voice. "I'll have to test you and Cousin Draco once were done to see if either of you might possess the talent."

Harry and Draco both looked at her in shock and the beginnings of excitement. They then looked at each other. It was one thing to be on opposite sides in opinion but that fact that they were related to each other however distantly was something to be considered.

The rest of the students in the hall started questioning each other in excitement about what other talents could be found if they looked at their family trees.

"We will continue this conversation once this is done," sated Madame Bones in a firm voice. "Professor Sinistra please continue."

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) –**

Lavender and Parvati shuddered in horror.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

The students in the great hall cheered at this. They were really getting in to the life story of the boy-who-lived and how it seems that his life was nothing like what they had pictured.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney.**

Gasps were heard around the hall.

"Harry you apparated," said Hermione in a shocked voice. "How old were you?"

"I think I was seven or so." said Harry after thinking about it for a bit.

The teachers exchanged startled looks. Apparating was very advanced magic and to do it at seven? They remembered how Harry had learned several spells well before most students did like the Patronus charm at thirteen. They needed to keep an eye on Mr. Potter and see what else he had done.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump.**

"Harry, Harry, Harry…," chorused the twins "you need to learn to think up better excuses than that."

Snickers were heard around the hall at this.

"Messrs. Weasley!" yelled Professor McGonagall.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

A few of the first years sneered in disgust "Ew… Cabbage!"

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"You know Harry…," said the twins with laughter in their voice. "I think Vernon likes to complain about you."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Harry questioned sarcastically.

"Just a hunch!" said the twins before laughing out loud.

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

"And there goes the Gryffindor mouth," said Snape sarcastically. "Not thinking before speaking"

"Well I am a Gryffindor," said Harry cheekily towards Snape. "But also, I was so excited to be going to the zoo that I completely forgot to watch what I was saying." he said with a shrug.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream." But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"Gred." asked George.

"Yes Forge?" questioned Fred.

Are you thinking what I am thinking?" said George.

When am I not?" asked Fred.

The twins turned to Hermione and Harry "What are cartoons and where can we get some?"

The muggleborns and several halfbloods in the hall burst into laughter while simultaneously looking worried.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop.**

"Cheapskate!" muttered a few people.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"Harry, you really shouldn't insult gorillas like that." piped up Luna Lovegood in her dreamy voice.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

The Gryffindor fifth years groaned.

"And there's the Harry Potter luck that we know" said Hermione and Ron with resignation in their voices.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

"How rude. The snake is not there for your entertainment!" said one of the Magical Creatures lovers.

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"Mate, your sympathizing with a snake." said Ron in a dry voice.

Harry merely shrugged and said "I felt sorry for it."

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

"But… but snakes can't wink. They have no eyelids." said a nervous first year muggleborn from Ravenclaw.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time.**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"Potter's talking to a snake?" questioned a Slytherin first year.

"He's a Parseltoungue." replied a seventh year.

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?" The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. **

**"Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil."**

"Your first conversation with a snake (which by the way you don't find weird in itself) and you talk to it about Brazil?" Hermione asked with amusement.

Harry blushed and ducked down to several snickers from around the hall.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.**

Quite a few people were gripping their wands and glaring at the book.

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What? What happened?" shouted several people excitedly.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

Once again the staff exchanged looks. That was very advanced magic to vanish a huge piece of thick glass without breaking it first.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

"Well… at least the snake said thanks," said Hermione through her laughter. "Did you ever hear from that boa again?"

"No but he seemed to think he could make it to Brazil all by himself. I hope he did 'cause that would be bloody cool." said Harry while laughing.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry." **

"Git!" quite a few students called out.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

"Mr. Potter, do you mean to tell me that he sent you to your cupboard without anything to eat?" Professor McGonagall said in a deadly quiet voice.

"Um… yes ma'am." Harry squeaked.

Hermione and Ron were too busy fuming to say anything.

"I see." she said and sat down with her face and lips drawn as tight as Harry had ever seen them.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"No wonder you're always sneaking about without getting caught. You've had plenty of practice." stated Snape in an enraged voice.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

The students all jerked in shock when they heard this before turning to stare at Harry in astonishment.

"You remember that?" asked Sprout in a shaky voice.

"And a lot more now." Harry said with absolutely no inflection in his tone.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

"There are several photos of your parents here at the school Mr. Potter. Get with me after this is over and I will make you a copy of them" said Professor McGonagall in a teary voice.

"Thanks Professor!" said Harry with a small smile.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"Well that's not very nice of the wizards and witches. You're making Harry think he's mental" said Hermione.

Harry could see the annoyance on her face.  
**  
At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"I'll disagree with 'em!" shouted the twins in anger.

"That's the end of the chapter," said Professor Sinistra with relief. "Who wants to read next?"

"Before we continue reading, I think we need to take a break for a little bit and digest what we have learned so far" said Dumbledore. "Mr. Potter if you would join me up here at the staff table I would appreciate it."

"Can Ron and Hermione come?" questioned Harry nervously.

Dumbledore exchanged glances with Madame Bones and Madame Pomfrey. "Very well" he said.

The trio walked up to the staff table while the rest of the students gathered in clumps and left the great hall discussing what they had learned and whether or not their opinions on anything had changed. They were definitely going to be back for the rest of the reading. They wanted to find out what else was going on with Harry Potter that they had never known or suspected.

"Mr. Potter we are going to go to the hospital wing so that I may do a full physical along with a St. Mungo's healer who will be called," said Madame Pomfrey in a firm voice. "This will let us know if there is anything wrong with you health wise that we need to be concerned about.

Harry looking very uncomfortable, nevertheless agreed. They all made their way to the hospital wing with the staff lining up questions in their head to ask once they got there.

**A/N:** I am of the opinion that for Harry to have that many haircuts as mentioned in this chapter without any noticeable difference each time there must be something other than accidental magic at work. From what I have read, accidental magic usually doesn't repeat itself and especially not that often. Hence the Metamorphagus talent. I don't think it would be like Tonks' or it would have shown itself a lot earlier and in more drastic ways but Harry probably has a little of it which is what was affecting his hair throughout his younger years.

Also, I think the next chapter is going to be the reactions to the cupboard including the hospital visit before we go to the next chapter. Not sure yet.

Please let me know what you think!


	4. Do I Have to Go?

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews! I just wanted to mention that while I enjoy a well written evil or manipulative Dumbledore, I don't think that would really fit in to this story. I decided that this story would have Dumbledore with his rose-colored glasses on. Harry's situation, as it is explained in the books, will then rip them off allowing Dumbledore to see the world as it really is. Or at least Harry's world. And while I don't see Snape becoming a mentor (I think it is a little late for that) he will, along with the rest of the staff, make up for their shortcomings and help Harry achieve both what he wants and needs. As for the health issues… I love a tall Harry with a swimmer's build. I believe that both his parents were pretty tall and since this is my story… I will deal with the health problems and solutions as I see fit. Again, please let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer: **My name is not J. K. Rowling therefore I don't own anything.

**Do I Have to Go?  
**

If a visitor to Hogwarts castle were standing outside the great hall that Friday morning they would have been in for a big surprise.

The great hall doors were flung open and the students rushed out, talking in loud voices about Harry Potter and what his home life had been like. They were also discussing the muggle items they had heard mentioned, Harry's accidental magic and how it compared to theirs, and finally, what was going to come next.

The visitor to the castle would also have seen a strange entourage walking out of the hall and towards the infirmary.

First came Headmaster Dumbledore looking shaken and confused with Professor McGonagall at his side, lips stretched thin and white, muttering under her breath to Dumbledore in a very angry tone of voice.

Next came Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey who were discussing all that needed to be done once they made it to the hospital wing.

"Pomona, I am going to need you to use the fireplace in my office and floo St. Mungo's to get a healer specializing in pre-teen healing. Make sure they know some of our suspicions but don't mention any names until they get here and we can get an oath not to talk about it to the papers. Also," after a questioning glance back at Professor Snape, who nodded his head, "let them know we have our own potion master to brew anything we will need." All of this was said by Madame Pomfrey in a very firm tone.

"Of course, Poppy. I'll go on ahead and get it set up." said Professor Sprout.

"Make sure the send the best. I want a team if they have to," the medi-witch called out as Sprout hurried on ahead. "I am going to go ahead and get started with what I can."

The next people in line were Harry with his friends Hermione and Ron. Harry was walking with his shoulders slumped while looking down at the ground in an attempt to avoid anyone's gaze. Hermione and Ron were exchanging worried and angry looks at each other before going back to Harry and trying to console him that it wouldn't be that bad.

Behind them came Professor Snape who was running through a list of questions in the back of his mind that he needed to ask about the abuse that Potter had suffered. He was also silently berating himself for not noticing an abused child in his school, no matter who it was. _'All those times I took his responses to be arrogance when in reality they were politeness ingrained in him by his _loving_ family. I can't believe I missed this. Lily would be so angry with me.' _he thought to himself. _'I am so sorry Lily.'_

Bringing up the rear were Madame Bones the Director of the MLE and two of her aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks. Bones was directing a list of things to do to Kingsley and Tonks once they made it to the hospital.

"Shacklebolt, I need you to floo back to my office and retrieve my pensieve and a legal Dict-o-Quill along with the parchment that goes with it. Tonks, I need you to follow Shacklebolt and send a team of aurors to the Dursley residence to watch them and their son at his school. Have them record anything they see that might help us in this case," Madame Bones said in a very firm tone. "I want this done right so they can't wiggle out of anything."

"Yes Director!" chorused the two aurors before rushing off.

"Tonks, hurry back once you're done. Mr. Potter seems to like you and that may help us with this investigation." she called out.

"Got it Boss!" Tonks said before going even faster.

Everybody eventually made their way to the infirmary to be met by several healers from St. Mungo's. Madame Pomfrey greeted them and Professor Sprout at the door and ushered them into her office before they could see who all was there.

McGonagall sent Harry and his friends to a bed in the corner and then pulled the curtains around it shut and set a silencing charm around them. She and Dumbledore then started conversing quietly with Professor Snape as to the questions that needed to be asked and by whom.

"I think we are going to need to take turns," said Snape. "Potter doesn't exactly trust any of us enough to answer every question we put to him."

"I just don't see why he didn't trust me enough to tell me." said Minerva in a quivery voice.

"Minerva… it probably had nothing to do with you. Most likely his mistrust of adults was reinforced while he was still with the Dursleys and then, when he came here, most of the things he did come to us about, we let him down on. Don't I remember you telling me that he came to you right before they went after the Stone in first year? And you know I haven't been a role model for him to look up to either." Snape said all of this with some disgust in his voice for the actions of himself and the adults in Potter's life.

"I think the only adult he does trust fully right now is Hagrid and he probably knows that Hagrid wouldn't be able to do anything about the situation except getting himself in trouble trying to hurt the Dursleys," Snape continued. "We are going to have to be careful and not completely destroy what little trust he has right now or he will never recover. Headmaster, that means you are going to have to eventually explain why you won't look at him and also tell him about the prophecy before he finds out for himself because you know he would eventually at the rate he is going."

"Yes, yes…you're right Severus," agreed Dumbledore in a sorrowful voice. "Once we are done reading these books I will sit down with Harry and explain what is going on. I just wanted him to have a childhood without the idea that he may have to kill Voldemort hanging over his head."

"Apparently Headmaster," said Snape. "He didn't have much of a childhood anyway."

"I just don't understand…," Dumbledore trailed off "Harry is Petunia's nephew. While I didn't expect them to treat him as their son I still thought that, being that he was family, they would treat him well." Dumbledore sounded confused and heartbroken.

"Albus," said Snape patiently. "You forget that sometimes family can be the worst enemy a person could have. Look at my father for instance. You want to see the best in people, and while that can be a good thing, if you ignore the bad, sooner or later someone is going to get hurt and it most likely will be the person you are trying to protect."

They grew quiet as Pomfrey and Sprout brought over the healers.

"Alright Headmaster, I've gotten their oaths on top of the usual patient confidentiality so we are good to go ahead and get started." stated Pomfrey who then proceeded to open the curtains around Harry's bed.

Inside Ron and Hermione were talking in quiet voices to Harry who was just sitting there and looking down at his lap.

"Mr. Potter, these are Healers Goodwin who specializes in physical child growth from newborn to seventeen and Healer Coralight who specializes in magical growth and the magical core of children up until their magical maturity. Both the healers and I are going to start by performing some deep diagnostic spells while you speak with the teachers. Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, I need you to move off of the bed so Mr. Potter may lie down." Pomfrey said in a firm but gentle tone.

Harry's friends moved off of the bed and into chairs that had been placed around it so that they would be able to see what was going on in case Harry needed some backup.

While this was happening, Madame Bones was getting set up at the end of the bed with the items that she had requested from Shacklebolt who had just returned from retrieving them. After getting settled, she spoke up "Mr. Potter, while we are asking you questions I am going to have my Legal Dict-O-Quill recording everything you are saying so that it can be admitted for evidence. Also, if it is possible I am going to request copies of your memories so that we may have them as a last resort just in case."

Harry looked uncomfortable but spoke up "I don't like those quills. Rita Skeeter uses them all the time and it completely skews what I say and even adds things that I didn't."

"No worries Mr. Potter," said Bones with a small smile on her face. "What Skeeter uses is a different sort of quill focused more on fiction than anything actually said."

"Hermione…?" Harry said with a questioning look.

"Don't worry Harry. I have read about those before and she is telling the truth. That quill won't write anything that is not said and it will write it word for word. There will be no flowery extras involved." Hermione said with a pleased look at Madame Bones.

"Very well, let's get started," Pomfrey said. "Harry, Healer Goodwin is going to go first since the physical body will probably be the easiest to fix, okay?"

"Okay." Harry said in a quiet voice but reached out and gripped Hermione's hand. Ron laid his hand on top of theirs to provide comfort.

"Now Mr. Potter, what is the earliest memory that you have?" asked Bones.

"Well originally it was just the green light and pain but since I have come into contact with the dementors in my third year I can remember my dad yelling at my mum to take me and run while he tries to hold Voldemort off. I then hear my mum pleading with Voldemort to leave me alone and kill her instead. Voldemort tells her to get out of the way but she keeps saying "Not Harry" and doesn't move. He kills her and then laughs and then I see the green light and feel pain on my forehead." Harry stated in a quivery voice.

Everybody's faces paled and there were tears in the eyes a few females as they processed what this fifteen year old had heard back in third year. No wonder he always collapsed when the dementors got near!

"Very good, Mr. Potter. It shows you have an excellent memory which will make this easier," said Bones in a choked voice. "I am going to allow some of the teachers to ask questions now, okay?"

Harry nodded his head.

"Potter," said Snape. "Did your aunt and uncle ever hit you?"

"No, Sir." said Harry.

"The truth Potter." snapped Snape said in a hard voice.

"But I am telling the truth, Sir. My aunt swung a frying pan at me a few times but I knew to duck so she never connected while my uncle just yelled a lot and mainly locked me in my cupboard and kept food from me. Dudley was the one who hit me all the time!" exclaimed Harry.

"Very well Potter… but if I find that you were lying to me about something this important you will be scrubbing cauldrons until you graduate. Is that clear?" Snape said with a look on his face that Harry couldn't decipher.

"Yes, Sir." Harry said and relaxed a little bit. It didn't seem like the teachers were going to treat him any different than they normally did and that comforted Harry a little.

Harry answered a few more questions from the teachers and Madame Bones while Healer Goodwin and Madame Pomfrey finished up with their diagnostic spells. The results were written onto a piece of parchment by an auto-quill keyed to the spells.

"Mr. Potter, we have the results of your physical exam and we would like to go through them with you. There are several things that we want to ask you about," said Madame Pomfrey in a gentle tone. "We will then discuss what is to be done about fixing everything."

They went over a few of the injuries on the list with Harry providing background and what had happened for him to receive them. Included in this were the bites he suffered from Ripper, Aunt Marge's dog, and a few other injuries. As he spoke the adults' faces kept getting darker and darker. Healer Goodwin decided to speak up.

"Well Mr. Potter, we have a few options. One we can try and fix everything from the bones in your body that are brittle from lack of calcium to your poor eyesight to the organs in your body that are strained from overwork from trying to use what little nutrients you received as a child. It will take about a few days or so and will involve putting you in a magic-induced coma to lessen the pain but it will be over and done with. There will be some residual growing pains once you wake up but that is it. You most likely will grow seven to eight inches and catch up to where you would be if you hadn't suffered a severe case of malnutrition since you were about two years old. Your muscles will need to be worked to get them into shape but I think you will be able to handle that by yourself." he said with a small smile on his face. "You will still need glasses as that is genetic but once you are older you will probably be able to get them fixed once your prescription has settled down permanently. Also you will probably top out at 6' 3" or 6' 4" once you are finished growing being as how tall your parents were."

Harry looked extremely interested in this. _'I won't have to be a midget anymore?'_ he thought to himself with glee but then paused. "Does that mean I won't be able to play seeker anymore?" he questioned in a worried tone.

"No Mr. Potter" said McGonagall with a smirk on her face "seekers body types are a generalization. Look at Victor Krum for example. He is much more muscular than most and definitely tall and yet he is one of the best seekers in the world. You will just have to work a little harder at it."

"Mate you're no longer going to be a shrimp!" said Ron while laughing.

Hermione hit him upside the head and turned to Harry "Make sure you find out what the other options are before agreeing to anything Harry" she said in an anxious voice.

"Quite right Ms. Granger," said Healer Goodwin with approval. "Your other option is to have us make up a potion regimen that will take the rest of the year and will do exactly the same thing but gradually. This option allows for you to become used to the changes in your body over a period of time instead of it happening all at once. With the first option, you will need to get your coordination back over a period of a few weeks which can be very annoying instead of it happening over a period of a year like with the second option. It is entirely up to you but we will need a bit of notice so that we can ask Professor Snape to brew the potions that will be required for the first option."

"Can I talk it over with my friends real quick?" Harry asked.

"Of course Mr. Potter," chimed in Pomfrey. "We need to get set up for the next set of spells anyway."

As Harry talked with his friends behind the curtains the rest of the adults in the room were going over what they had learned so far.

"Albus," McGonagall said in a hard voice. "There is no way I am allowing you to send Harry back to those… those… _things_!" she yelled in a whisper.

"I agree Albus" said Snape "you need to find somewhere else for Harry to stay during the summer even if it is here at Hogwarts with the teachers taking turns looking out for him."

"I was thinking about that," said Albus in a bright manner. "You know that Umbridge and Fudge will be finding out the truth about Sirius Black in Harry's third year. So why not ask him and Remus to come stay at the castle once Sirius has been cleared of all charges. That way Harry could get some extra studying in with the teachers that are here, have fun with friends that want to visit and still be safe from Voldemort over the summer."

Both Snape and McGonagall thought it over for a few minutes trying to see if there was anything inherently wrong with the idea.

"That actually might work," said Snape slowly. "The wolf and the mutt will keep him entertained along with teaching him DADA while the other teachers can focus on their classes and making sure that Potter understands what he was supposed to over the years. And having his friends visit will make the castle feel more like a home instead of a prison like Privet Drive was."

"I like it," said McGonagall with excitement in her voice. "The teachers will be able to take the time off that they usually do and still be able to help Harry in the fight against Voldemort without making it seem like we are pushing him to hard. Also, Sirius will make sure that Harry has fun and acts like a teenager and doesn't get bogged down in work and trying to become a warrior."

"We'll mention it to Harry after he finishes his talk with his friends about his decision on his physical health." said Dumbledore with a pleased smile on his face. _'And I can start making it up to Harry for my deplorable actions in sending him to the Dursleys.'_

Just as everyone was gathering back around, Harry pulled the curtains and looked about with an excited but nervous face.

"I have come to a decision," he announced to the room at large. "With the help of Ron and 'Mione, I have decided to do the first option. I think it would be good to schedule it for the time right before Christmas break, that way I will have about two weeks to try and get some of my coordination back and will still have a month until the first game of Quidditch to finish working through the awkwardness. Is that okay?" he finished in a hesitant voice.

The adults thought it over.

"Actually that is very well planned and logical," said Healer Goodwin. "It will allow Professor Snape and me to go over what needs to be brewed and to make the schedule. I will also allow us time to plan anything we might already have around it so nothing interferes. Very well done!" he said with a smile.

The trio beamed back at him from the bed.

"Now Mr. Potter, it is time for Healer Coralight to check your magical core and how it has been growing. It is a good thing that this happened now being that if there were anything wrong and you went through your magical maturity with those problems, it could cause extreme malfunctions in your core of magic." said Madame Pomfrey with a stern look on her face.

"Yes ma'am" said Harry in an apologetic tone.

"Meanwhile," said Madame Bones "Auror Tonks is back and we will be continuing the questions from before. These will focus more on the magic you preformed so that we may try and get an idea of how the Dursleys reacted."

"Wotcher, Harry," said Tonks, coming up beside Madame Bones. "Once you're done with all of this I am going to test you for that Metamorphagus talent like I told you about."

"Sweet," said Harry with a grin on his face. "Are you going to call Draco Malfoy in and test him to?"

"Yep," Tonks chirped. "But not until all of this is done and out of the way."

"Let's get started shall we," called out Headmaster Dumbledore. "That way we can back to the book and finish it so we can get to the good stuff."

Everybody laughed.

Harry leaned back in the bed so that Pomfrey and Coralight could start their diagnostics while the teachers and MLE personnel started their questions again. He once again grabbed onto Hermione's hand with Ron putting his on top of both to provide support.

After about ten more minutes Pomfrey and the healer stepped back to discuss their findings. Pomfrey had a worried look on her face but the healer looked calm.

Harry and the staff finished up their questions and turned to Healer Coralight.

"Well Mr. Potter, your situation is not as bad as I thought it would be after listening to some of your answers." the healer said in a calm voice. "Basically, your core is fine. It just has a self-induced block on it. We see these blocks occasionally in abused Muggleborns who have taught themselves subconsciously to block their magic to keep them from receiving more 'punishment' from their abusers. Unfortunately what the abused children do not know is that blocking their magic like that causes it to grow exponentially in trying to fight the block. This means that when the child does have a bout of accidental magic it is usually way more… advanced for lack of a better term, which in turn causes a more severe punishment and the child trying even harder to block the magic out. It is a never ending vicious cycle that keeps getting worse and worse."

"Is this why I have so much trouble with normal spells in class Healer Coralight?" asked Harry in a worried voice.

"Yes, that is it exactly Mr. Potter," she said with a smile. "Because your magic is still blocked, only extreme emotion or a lot of practice will allow you to perform a spell correctly. I suspect that the block has a… release valve of sorts that lets off once a year or so. In first year it would have been against Professor Quirrell, in second year it didn't happen until you blew up your aunt during the summer, third year was the five months or so of practice on the Patronus charm with the final release being against those dementors, and finally last year you summoned your broom which was in the castle all the way out to the Quidditch pitch and your duel with You-Know-Who at the end of the year."

"Whoa…" said Ron in a stunned voice.

"That makes so much sense," said Hermione in a wondering tone. "I always wondered why you could do the big and powerful things but had so much trouble doing the normal everyday things."

"Can it be fixed?" questioned Harry worriedly.

"Of course Mr. Potter," said the healer with assurance. "I will merely have Professor Snape brew a few potions that you will need to take and it will gradually wear off. However," she said in a warning tone "you will find that your magic is very much stronger than you are now used to and you will need to practice a lot to get it back under control. I mean that it will most likely require you to practice at least a few hours a day for the next several months if you want to get it under control quickly. Start with the spells you are learning now since they require more power and work your way back down to first year. You might even try to do some wandless magic although I can't say for sure as to whether or not you will be able to perform it."

"Thank you Healer Coralight," said Harry with a smile. "I appreciate your helping me with this."

"It is no trouble at all!" said the healer.

"Albus," called Madame Pomfrey. "The healers and I are finished if you want to head back to the great hall."

"Madame Bones are you and your aurors finished with your questions?" asked the Headmaster in an inquiring tone.

"Yes Albus," said Madame Bones. "Auror Tonks, once we are done with this first book you have my permission to take Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy and test them for the Metamorphagus talent."

"Thanks Boss!" said Tonks, beaming along with Harry.

"Professor Snape," called Healer Goodwin. "Healer Coralight and I will be in touch within a few days with a list of the potions that are going to need to be brewed. Let me know if there are any ingredients you don't have on hand and I'll see what we have at the hospital. Is that okay with you?" he questioned.

"That is perfectly acceptable," said Snape. "I should have most of the ingredients for the potions I believe you are going to suggest but there may be a few of the more esoteric ones requiring ingredients I don't currently have. I will let you know once I have your lists."

"Very well," said Healer Goodwin. "It was nice meeting you all and Mr. Potter I hope you feel better once this is all done. Do not hesitate to call on me if anything else comes up."

"Thank you Healer Goodwin." Harry said with a smile towards the nice man.

"The same goes for me," said Healer Coralight. "Just let me know if anything else pops up or your magic is not working the way I described."

"I appreciate all your help Healer Coralight." said Harry while smiling brightly at her.

Both the healers returned the smile and left for the fireplace in Madame Pomfrey's office.

"Very well Mr. Potter," the headmaster said as they may their way down the corridor towards the great hall. "Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and I were speaking to each other about your summer arrangements and we would like to talk to you about it after this first book is finished. Is that alright with you?" he questioned.

"Can 'Mione and Ron come?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course, dear boy! I expected them to come along" exclaimed the headmaster with a laugh.

"Oh," said Harry. "Okay then."

"After the book is finished we will gather in the antechamber behind the staff table so that we may make our way to my office," the Headmaster explained. "And here is the great hall now. I believe I need to ring the bell to let everyone know to come back in, so if you'll excuse me."

"Bye Headmaster!" chorused the trio.

They group split up and went to their seats discussing what had been revealed in the infirmary. As they were talking quietly the bells rang and the other students and staff started rushing back in.

Once everyone was seated, The Headmaster stood up and called for attention. "It is time we move on to the next chapter. Does anyone want to volunteer to read?"

Hermione threw her hand into the air. "Headmaster can a student read or does it need to be a staff member?" she questioned excitedly.

"Why no Ms. Granger it does not need to be a staff member so yes, the students can read if they want to. I am assuming you would like to read the next chapter?" he said with a chuckle.

"Oh yes please!" squealed Hermione.

Ron and Harry exchanged grins behind her back at the typical 'Mione-like behavior.

"Very well," he said and floated the book over to her. "Here you go. I believe we are on chapter three."

Hermione grabbed the book out of the air and opened it to the next page.

"**Chapter Three – The Letters From No One.**" she read in a loud and clear voice.


	5. The Letters From No One

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the reviews! You don't know how much love getting them! I hope no one was angry at the break in reading so that Harry could go to the hospital. I figured that the teachers would want to get it over with now instead of waiting for the end of the book. Please let me know if you think I am missing something or if you have any ideas for the story. I can't promise to incorporate them but I will definitely read them over with consideration. Again, Please let me know how I am doing! I appreciate all constructive criticism.

**Disclaimer:** I am not blond, I do not have the initials J. K. R., I do not live in the United Kingdom, and I am not rich. The conclusion we get from these statements is that I do not own Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER THREE - THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE.**

"How can you get a letter from no one? It has to come from somebody, right?" asked a first year pureblood in confusion.

"In the wizarding world mail is handled differently than the muggle world besides the obvious. The muggles put the person who is sending the letter on the outside of the envelope whereas in the wizarding world the letters are merely signed on the inside by whomever set them. Thus to someone like Harry and any other muggleborn, looking at their Hogwarts letters for the first time, they would not be able to tell who sent it without opening it and hence the title of the chapter… the letters from no one." Hermione explained in a patient voice.

"Ah!" said the first year.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started**

"How long was that punishment Potter?" asked Malfoy with a questioning look on his face.

"About a month." Harry replied.

"Were you able to go to school?" asked Dean Thomas

"Yeah, I just had to come home immediately afterwards and go straight into my cupboard." said Harry with a grimace on his face.

The majority of the students proceeded to turn towards the book and growl.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"This git is going to end up in jail at the rate he is going." remarked one muggleborn to her friends.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

The students in the great hall snorted with laughter.

"Love your logic Potter!" cried Michael Corner.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

The laughter in the great hall cut off immediately and the students started growling at the book.

Harry looked around in amazement that all these people seemed to care about what was happening to him even though it was in the past.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings.**

"Why would someone name a school Smeltings?" asked Pansy Parkinson.

"Why would someone name a school Hogwarts?" asked Harry with a shrug.

**Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to **

"Hogwarts!" shouted the student body.

**Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"What's funny about that?" said a third year.

"Dud is an idiot. You can't use normal common sense and logic to try and figure out the way he thinks." said Harry with amusement in his voice.

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice."**

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

The students and most of the teachers cracked up laughing.

"That was very Slytherin of you Potter!" snarked Professor Snape with a smirk on his face.  
**  
One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

Ron look scandalized that anyone would have the nerve to say anything against chocolate cake.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats,**

The fashion-conscience in the hall groaned.

**orange knickerbockers, **

Some of the students started to snicker.

**and flat straw hats called boaters. **

And finally, all the students burst into laughter as they pictured what this uniform would look like.

Those students who had complained about only wearing black immediately felt a sense of gratefulness towards Dumbledore for not making them wear something like that.

**They also carried knobby sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"This is ridiculous," groaned Professor McGonagall. "All this school is doing is encouraging these boys to be bullies."

Privately, Umbridge agreed with what this muggle school was doing although she did have enough sense not to say anything.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins,**

There was even more laughter at this revolting nickname while the twins vowed to try and stop using 'Ickle Ronniekins' immediately. They wanted no part in having anything in common with the Dursleys.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

The students of Hogwarts had no such compunction and were rolling on the floor, laughing their heads off.

It took a few minutes for everyone to regain their breath and climb back into their seats.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

The Ravenclaws all sent glares towards the book at this reminder.

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

"Sarcasm does not work on people like her Potter." said Snape with a sneer.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dying some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." **

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

Ron felt a twinge of guilt that he constantly complained to Harry about wearing his brothers' hand-me-downs. _'At least mine still looked like they were supposed to, just a little frayed around the edges.'_ he thought to himself.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"He's making the blond pig do something?" the twins questioned in amazement.

**"Make Harry get it."**

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

"Ah, and the world turns right side up again." they said in disgust.

**"Make Dudley get it." **

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley." **

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry.**

Several of the students cheered.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would?**

"Um… I would and did." said Neville sheepishly.

"So did I!" yelled quite a few more people.

"So why didn't I get any of this?" questioned Harry with confusion.

"Mr. Potter, I set up a mail ward at your location when I first left you with the Dursleys otherwise you would have been bombarded. All of your fan-mail was redirected to a mail vault at Gringotts. They watch over the mail and make sure there is nothing harmful before putting it in the vault. I believe that at last count on September first of this year, you had close to ten thousand letters including almost seven hundred howlers, around five hundred letters that had curses or harmful potions attached, and around a hundred or so marriage proposals from parents for their children," explained Professor Dumbledore. "The majority of these came in your first year at the Dursleys and I was worried about the ones from the death eaters that might try and harm you."

"Whoa!" said Harry in amazement.

"I will take you to Gringotts soon and have it transferred here to Hogwarts if you want to go through it." offered Dumbledore.

"Thank you Professor." said Harry sounding quite dazed.

**He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake: **

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging Surrey**

"Professors, why were you so shocked about the cupboard when my letter was clearly addressed to it?" said Harry.

"I am very sorry for that Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall with some shame in her face. "I do not address the letters. I merely make sure that the letters going to the prefects, head boy and girl, and Quidditch captains have their badges in them. The rest are done by a self-updating quill which will send a letter until they are opened in case the first few to muggleborns are thrown out as a joke."

"Ah… that's why I never mentioned my situation at the Dursleys to you Professor. I thought you already knew and didn't care." Harry said while looking down at his lap.

"Again, I am so sorry Mr. Potter." said the Professor with tears in her eyes.

Professor McGonagall then turned towards the Headmaster "We are going to need to watch the letters going out from now on. Maybe have a house-elf volunteer so they can catch something like this if it happens again. What if there were other students with the same issue and they didn't tell us because they thought we already knew?"

Professor Dumbledore nodded his head solemnly "I will ask the house-elves after we are finished with this book."

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

Professors Burbage scribbled "stamp" on to her list of muggle things to talk about.

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion,**

"Gryffindor!"

**an eagle, **

"Ravenclaw!"

**a badger, **

"Hufflepuff!"

**and a snake **

"Slytherin!"

**surrounding a large letter H.**

"Hogwarts!" cheered the students.

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs." He chuckled at his own joke.**

"That was lame!" said the twins, shaking their heads.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

"That was probably a bad idea Potter." stated Malfoy with amusement.

"I know that now Malfoy. I was just so shocked to get a letter that I wasn't thinking." said Harry.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!" **

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"Give that back!" shouted Neville who then shrunk back down into his seat when people turned to look at him in amazement.

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"You tell 'em Harry!" shouted several students.

**"Who'd be writing to you." sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

"Ew… Potter. You have a very descriptive imagination." exclaimed a Slytherin seventh-year in disgust.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"Choke, choke, choke!" chanted the Weasley twins with wicked grins on their faces.

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!" They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"Lay off you fat tub o' lard!" yelled Seamus.

"**I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine." **

"Go Harry!"

More of the students in the hall were beginning to shout. They were really getting into Harry's life and the reading of this book.

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"Practicing satisfying his curiosity for when he gets to Hogwarts!" Professor Snape groaned under his breath to McGonagall who laughed wryly.

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"Yeah, 'cause we have nothing better to do than follow your pathetic selves around." said a pureblood.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -" Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything...**

"Won't work!" chorused the twins with grins on their faces.

**"But -"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense."**

Professor Dumbledore grew very pale at this and asked Harry in a very quiet voice that managed to carry over the students "Mr. Potter. They didn't try and _stamp out_ your magic did they?"

"No professor. I think they thought that if they keep my unhappy that would do the trick." said Harry while trying to shrink into a small ball.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"He fit?" questioned several people in amazement.

"Just his head." said Harry with a wry smile.

**"Where's my letter," said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

"You can't destroy someone else's mail. It's illegal!" yelled Hermione looking up from her reading.

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it." **

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"I hope it was." said Harry under his breath.

**"Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

"Second bedroom?" questioned Ginny in a deadly voice.

**"Why?" said Harry.**

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.**

"They had four bedrooms and they made you sleep in the cupboard?" screamed Ginny while looking around as though the Dursleys would pop out so she could curse them.

"Um… yes?" Harry said and shrank away from the angry witch.

Ginny sat down red in the face and started to mumble under her breath.

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

"Well that would explain a few things." muttered Terry Boot to his Ravenclaw friends who nodded grimly.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

Growls were heard around the room at this.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

"Whoo-hooh! Go Harry!" yelled the twins excitedly.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again. And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Oh dear!" Hermione said with a small smile on her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Harry indignantly.

"Well mate…," Ron trailed off as though wondering how to put this nicely. "Your plans have a way of backfiring. When you are in the middle of something and you do your thinking on your feet, you do amazing. But give you a few hours ahead of time to plan and something always goes wrong."

Harry hmphed and crossed his arms while pouting.

The students around the hall looked at each other in amazement at how _normal_ the trio were acting.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first.**

"That's not actually a bad plan." commented a Slytherin slowly.

"Wait for it." said Ron with a smile.

Harry continued to pout.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door - Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat - something alive! **

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap.**

"I see what you mean!" said the same Slytherin with a small smirk on his face.

Harry glared at Ron and Hermione through the pout that was still on his face.

**Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

**"I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon." **

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"Thank Merlin!" shouted several people around the hall.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

Snickers were heard as people tried to contain their laughter.

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Paranoid much?" said the twins

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" shouted several people who had been in Mad-Eye Moody's class last year.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

"That is a persistent quill!" stated a Hufflepuff muggleborn.

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly." Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

"I did!" many students shouted.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today -" Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.**

"Potter, why didn't you just pick up one off the ground?" sneered Malfoy.

"I don't know," said Harry sheepishly. "Trying to practice my seeker skills?"

**"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

The laughter that had been a continuous background noise cut off and changed to growls.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!" He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway.**

"Does he think he can outrun the letters if he goes far enough?" questioned a Ravenclaw student in amazement.

**Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"Moron!" several muggleborns muttered.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

Laughter was heard around the great hall at this.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"Welcome to Harry's life you slimy mess of blubber!" yelled Ginny looking red in the face.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...**

"What were you wondering about Harry?" asked a Gryffindor first year hesitantly.

"Probably about where the letter writer was now and if he or she would still be able to find me." he said with a smile towards the first year.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter. Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk." She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"At his rudeness." said Hermione with a huff.

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

**"Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear." Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"What the bloody hell is he doing mate?" asked Ron in confusion.

"You'll see." said Harry.

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he." Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"Sorry Dudders but I think your dad has always been a little mad in the head!" commented Harry while laughing.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

A lot of students smirked at this.

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. "**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

"Happy Birthday Harry!" shouted several of his friends.

"Thanks guys but it's not really my birthday." Harry said with a smile.

They just shrugged.

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

Mutters were heard around the hall and glares were sent towards the book.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"What is it?" several people questioned worriedly.

"Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough." Harry said with a reassuring smile.

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"He's going to get you and his family killed merely so he can avoid some letters?" asked Parvati in disbelief.

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!" A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!" It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

"Let me guess," said a Hufflepuff angrily. "Harry doesn't get one of the bedrooms?"

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"Those aren't rations," said Ron, horrified at what he was hearing. "That's not even a snack!"

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh." he said cheerfully.**

A few of the muggleborns stuck their tongues out at the book.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

A lot of the females snarled at this while a few of the males started to crack their knuckles.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

"In my office Mr. Potter, wondering why so many letters have been sent to you and why you haven't written back." stated Professor McGonagall.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

"Harry," exclaimed Hermione. "You could be injured!"

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

"Could work." mused Seamus.

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"Do it, do it!" chanted the twins.

**- three... two... one...**

**BOOM.**

Several people screamed in shock as Hermione yelled out this last part.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Who is it?" asked the majority of the students excitedly.

"I believe we will find out in the next chapter," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes. "So, who would like to read now?"

"I'd like ta' if ya don' mind Pr'fessor!" said Hagrid excitedly.

"Very well Hagrid," said Dumbledore while levitating the book towards him. "Here you go."

"Professor Dumbledore," called out Ron. "When are we going to eat lunch?"

"I believe lunch will be served while we are reading about the sorting during the opening feast," stated Dumbledore. "That way no one will go hungry while reading about the food that was served. Is that okay with everybody?"

There were nods of agreement at this.

"Hagrid. If you would please…" Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Alrigh' Headmaster," Hagrid said with a large grin on his face. "The nex' chapter is **The Keeper of the Keys**."

The students in the school who like Hagrid cheered.

A/N: Thanks to a reviewer who mentioned that I had accidentally turned off anonymous reviews with out being aware of it. I have since turned it on for those who would like to leave one. Let me know if I miss anything else. I am new at this and might have done something stupid without being aware of it.


	6. The Keeper Of The Keys

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews people! I am sorry it took me so long to update this but I came down with a light cold and didn't have the energy to finish this chapter. I am also back at work for the next few days so it might just be a chapter a day for awhile. Sorry! Anyhow… Let me know how I did!

**Disclaimer:** According to my bank account, I do not own Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER FOUR - THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS.  
**

**BOOM. They knocked again. **

**Dudley jerked awake. "Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"Is there anything that comes out of his mouth that isn't stupid?" asked Malfoy with a small sneer on his face.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands - now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

"He brought a rifle?" screeched Hermione.

The other muggleborns and a few halfbloods looked worried.

"Hermione, calm down," soothed Harry. "The rifle is taken care of quickly, I promise."

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!" **

"So are we!" shouted the twins and waved their hands in the air.

**There was a pause. Then - SMASH! The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

"Nice entrance Hagrid!" called Ernie Macmillan while laughing.

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

Hagrid paused in his reading to look at Harry worriedly.

"Don't worry Hagrid," Harry said in a reassuring voice before Hagrid could say anything. "You didn't scare me. I was just startled at how big you were."

"Are yeh sure, Harry?" said Hagrid looking only slightly mollified.

"I'm quite sure Hagrid." Harry said with a smile.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh. It's not been an easy journey..."**

"Only you Hagrid." muttered Professor McGonagall with a small smile.

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

"You tell 'em Hagrid!" shouted a few people.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes."**

"First time I heard that but definitely not the last." said Harry**.**

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. "I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; **

"Very well done Hagrid." said Professor Sprout with approval.

**he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.**

"See 'Mione," said Harry with a grin. "I told you that the rifle would be taken care of."

Hermione huffed. "He still should not have brought it!"

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

The students laughed at the walrus making mouse-like sounds.

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right." From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.**

"Thank you Hagrid," said Harry while beaming. "It was the first birthday cake I ever remember receiving."

Harry's friends smiled at Hagrid and then glared at the book.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you."**

"Harry," exclaimed Hermione. "Manners!"

"I'm sorry 'Mione," said Harry. "But I was a bit shocked at the large man handing me a birthday cake in the middle of the ocean while hiding from a pack of letters!"

**The giant chuckled. "True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

Students around the hall grimaced in sympathy. They remembered shaking Hagrid's hand and how much their shoulders hurt afterwards.

**"What about that tea then, eh." he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"Hagrid!" yelled Professor McGonagall while glaring in Hagrid's direction.

Hagrid looked a little sheepish at this.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

"Ha," shouted Umbridge in a triumphant tone. "You are performing magic against the Ministry rules!"

The trio glared at her and the Minister.

Minister Fudge looked like he was about to say something before Professor Dumbledore interrupted.

"Ah…," said Dumbledore in a pleasant tone of voice. "But minister, technically Hagrid was allowed to do magic at the time as it was later proved that he should not have been expelled in the first place. I am sure, if you want to press charges, that we could head over to the Wizengamot now and settle this immediately."

Fudge snapped his mouth closed instantly and motioned for Umbridge to keep quiet. There was no way that he wanted that old case dragged in to the light and let people know how he had sent an innocent man to Azkaban.

Harry smirked at Umbridge, who sent a nasty look his way.

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs,**

"Merlin, Hagrid," said Ron in amazement. "How many pockets do you have in that thing?"

"Don' rightly know Ron," commented Hagrid after pausing to think about it. "But I know i's enough to hold ever'thing I need."

**and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. **

"Butterbeer!" called out Hagrid at the glares he was receiving from the female staff members.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." **

**The giant chuckled darkly. "Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." **

There were quite a few cheers at this.

Hagrid beamed back at the students.

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. **

**Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." **

"Much better manners, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall said with approval.

"Uh… thanks?" Harry blushed and ducked while his friends snickered into their hands.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."**

"Ooh… here we go!" said the twins in glee.

**"Er - no," said Harry.**

"I still can't believe you didn't know anything about the wizarding world Potter." said Draco as he shook his head in disbelief.

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

"Sorry," Harry said quickly.

"Harry," said Ginny through gritted teeth "Why are you apologizing?"

"Habit." said Harry with a wince.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

"That's not going to go over well" commented a sixth year Hufflepuff with a grimace.

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!" He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut.**

"I don't think I have ever seen Hagrid angry before," mused a seventh year Gryffindor to his friends. "Have you?"

Everyone in hearing distance shook their heads no.

**The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"**

"Hagrid," scolded Professor Sprout. "Harry is going to think you're calling him stupid."

"Sorry Harry." Hagrid said with a blush.

"It's alright Hagrid," said Harry with a smile at his large friend. "I figured out what you meant."

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad. "I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." **

"Ooh… Harry," Hermione was quivering in her seat. "What was your favorite class in primary school? Mine was literature but I really liked-"

"I really don't think now is the time 'Mione," Harry interrupted while laughing. "Why don't you ask me later?"

**But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world." **

**"What world?" Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

"What does mimblewimble mean?" asked a first year.

"It's not really a word," explained a muggleborn Ravenclaw fourth year. "It's an onomatopoeia, which is just a word that represents the sound Mr. Dursley made."

**"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"What. My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

"Potter," Draco said in an amused voice. "Did you completely miss the part where he said that _you_ were famous?"

"I heard it," said Harry with a shrug. "I just hadn't processed it yet."

**"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are." he said finally.**

"You're a git!" shouted Draco while smirking.

"You're a good teacher!" called a few of the D.A. members.

"You're a noble idiot!" said Hermione with a smile

"You're a friend!" said Luna and Neville at the same time.

"You're a knight in shining armor!" yelled Ginny while trying to smile.

"You're a pain in my rear!" said Snape with a smirk.

"You're a partner in messing with the people in charge!" the Weasley twins snickered.

"You're a lousy chess player and my best mate!" laughed Ron.

"You're Harry… just Harry." said Dumbledore with twinkling eyes.

Harry's face was as red as it had ever been but he beamed at everyone.

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

"Like that's ever stopped Hagrid before!" Hermione rolled her eyes while smiling.

Hagrid blushed and looked down before smiling back at Hermione.

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told him. Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him. I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years."**

"Still can't believe he just left a letter" muttered Hermione under her breath angrily.

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

**"Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. **

"Go Hagrid!" yelled a majority of the student population.

**"Harry - yet a wizard." **

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"- a what?" gasped Harry.**

"That was my reaction to!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Mine to!" several other muggleborns called out.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be. An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"Finally!" cheered the twins.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to **

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Floor**

**Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.**

**He pulled out the letter and read: **

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

"What's a Mugwump?" questioned some of the muggleborn first years.

"I don't know where the actual word came from but it is a title for the leader of the wizarding equivalent of the United Nations." explained an older muggleborn from Ravenclaw.

_**Dear Mr. Potter,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**_

_**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Minerva McGonagall,**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

"Do you ever change that letter or has it been the same since Hogwarts started?" asked the twins with mirth in their voice.

"It changes when it needs to Messrs. Weasley and that is all you need to know." stated McGonagall in a firm tone.

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

"You just found out that you are a wizard and that is the first question that you ask Harry?" questioned Anthony Goldstein while laughing.

"It was the last thing that I read and since it seemed to be some sort of deadline, I figured that I would ask about that first." said Harry with a blush.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, **

"Gallopin' Gorgons! Must remember to use that in conversation Forge" said Fred.

"Too right Gred!" said George.

**that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl **

"Hagrid," called out Ginny in indignation. "You can't keep an owl in your coat pocket!"

Several people snickered into their hands.

"Bu' Ginny," Hagrid said looking confused. "He crawled in there on his own!"

Ginny hmphed and crossed her arms.

**- a long quill, and a roll of parchment.**

**With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:**

**_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_**

**_Given Harry his letter._**

_**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**_

_**Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.**_

_**Hagrid**_

"Short, sweet, and to the point." laughed Sally-Ann Perks.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

Harry blushed at the snickers heard in the hall.

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"He's not going," he said.**

The people who knew Hagrid, snorted at this.

**Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

**"A what?" said Harry, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non-magic folk like them.**

"Professor Dumbledore?" called Hermione.

"Yes Ms. Granger?"

"Where did the term 'muggle' come from?" she asked in confusion. "I mean, who came up with it and when?"

"You know Ms. Granger… I am not quite sure." mused Dumbledore while stroking his beard. "It might make for an interesting extra credit history essay, though."

Hermione and the Ravenclaws all looked excited and started whispering to each other.

**An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

"Both literally and figuratively!" sneered Snape.

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

Harry shrank back from all the growls and glares being sent towards the book while Hagrid, as the person holding it, looked a little nervous.

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard." **

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was. Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!"**

"We are not freaks!" shouted several of the students angrily at the book.

"**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!" She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

Hermione and Ginny had gone pale.

"That's how you found out how your parents died?" they said in enraged tones.

Harry didn't answer as he was too busy trying to hide from the angry witches under the table.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up. You told me they died in a car crash!" **

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!" **

"You should have cursed them right there Hagrid!" called out a few angry voices.

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

"I 'ad no idea tha' I was goin' to be the one to tell ya this, Harry." said Hagrid.

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone's gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

"That would have been hilarious," said Draco while trying to hold in his snickers. "Very bad for you, but hilarious all the same."

"Mr. Malfoy!" shouted Professor McGonagall.

"Sorry Professor!" Draco called out while still snickering. 

**"Well, its best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..." He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"**

"I don't see how everybody could know his name if they never refer to him by it." Harry commented sarcastically.

**"Who?"**

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does." **

**"Why not?" **

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. **

"So," said Harry in a wondering tone. "It's been ten years since Voldemort supposedly died and people are still afraid to say the name?"

"The Dark Lord was a very terrifying individual and that is not counting all of his death eaters that came along with him" said Professor Snape in a dark tone of voice.

"Okay," said Harry. "I understand that, but the muggles had Hitler and a few others that killed _millions_ of people and you don't see them afraid to say their names. Unless he had some sort of way of tracking each person who said his name and could appear instantly in front of that person, I don't see what the big deal is."

Quite a few people had to pause and think about this. It made sense in a way.

**Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..." Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

"Wizards won't even _write_ his name down." said harry while rolling his eyes.

**"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort."**

Harry ignored the flinches that this brought about.**  
**

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. **

Several of the purebloods in Slytherin started to look a little nervous.

**Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right." **

"**Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."**

"**Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side."**

"Come to the Dark Side: we have cookies!" chanted one of the muggleborns while trying to lighten the atmosphere.

A few of the other muggleborns and halfbloods laughed while the purebloods just looked confused.

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -" Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

Hagrid repeated these actions while he continued to read aloud.

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway..."**

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. **

Harry bowed his head.

Hermione and Ron both put their arms around his shoulders trying to comfort him.

**An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead. That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry."**

Harry was grumbled under his breath but no one understood what he was said.

"**No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts **

Families related to those that had been killed in the first war also bowed their heads in silence.

**- an' you was only a baby, an' you lived." **

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

The student body as one shuddered in horror.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."**

"I really wish you hadn't Hagrid." said Harry with a pained grimace on his face.

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. **

**Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

"And what do you think you're going to be able to do you fat walrus?" asked Draco with a sneer on his face.

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured**

"WHAT?" yelled most of the people in the great hall.

Hagrid had to pause in his reading as the students and staff took a few minutes to calm themselves down enough to listen to the rest.

**- and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion **

Hagrid cringed back in his seat at all the snarls that were directed towards the book in his hands.

**- asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -" **

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... " **

"The hell with that Hagrid," shouted the Weasley twins. "Go ahead and curse him!"

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"Coward!" muttered the Gryffindors.

"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

"When don't you have questions mate?" Ron asked with amusement.

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"You didn't say his name!" said Hermione in disbelief.

"That changes quickly 'Mione." said Harry with a smirk.

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go?**

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it.**

"Apparently some people have more intelligence than others." stated Harry while pointedly looking at Minister Fudge.

Umbridge glared at Harry while most of the students in the room snickered.

Fudge turned red and looked like he was about to start blustering but Hagrid continued reading before he could open his mouth.

**People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. **

Several students whose family had claimed to be under the Imperius curse looked around nervously at this.

**Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back."**

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

"You mean something about my mum stumped him Hagrid." said Harry with pride for his mother on his face.

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.**

"You got that right!" muttered Harry under his breath.

**A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard. If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

"Well at least now I know why," said Harry. "Thank goodness Healer Coralight explained what was going on with my magic. Hey Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry?" Hermione asked with a questioning look.

"Have you ever read about why accidental magic happens the way it does? I mean… why will it summon toys to you or things like that but won't work when you are experiencing extreme emotion like danger or something like that?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Hmmm," mused Hermione with a thoughtful look. "I don't remember reading anything about it. That's a good question. I'll have to look it up when we are done here."

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

**"Not a wizard, eh. Never made things happen when you was scared or angry." Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach... dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it. Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

"That was the best Harry!" cheered the twins.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

**"See." said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Yay me!" Harry commented sarcastically to thoughtful looks from around the great hall.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

"Of course not," Hermione said with anger. "That would make you happy and he can't have that!"

**"Haven't I told you he's not going." he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"**

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad."**

"Ya got that right Hagrid!" shouted Harry's friends.

"**His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-" **

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"Ooh," said a third year Hufflepuff. "That was a mistake!"

Umbridge and Fudge on the other hand looked like they agreed with Vernon Dursley.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE- IN- FRONT- OF- ME!"**

"Whoo-hooh," screamed the twins. "Give 'em what they got coming!"

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

With the exception of Umbridge, Fudge, Percy Weasley, and Snape, everyone stood up and gave Hagrid a standing ovation through their laughter**. **And even Snape was smiling from his seat at the end of the table.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard. "Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

"Actually Hagrid, he's more like a whale than a pig but it still worked!" shouted Harry through his laughter.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."**

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." **

**"Why were you expelled?" **

"Don't bother Harry," said the twins while shooting disappointed looks towards Hagrid. "He won't tell anybody. We know, we've tried."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceeded to start looking at the ceiling of the great hall and whistling innocently.

"You know why he was expelled?" the twins squawked.

"You'll find out in the next book." said Ron smugly.

The rest of the students looked very interested in this.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that." He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

"An tha's the end o' the chapter." stated Hagrid, relieved to be done reading.

"Who would like to read next?" Dumbledore asked the hall at large.

"I think Draco should read next Headmaster," Harry said with a smirk. "I think he would enjoy what's coming next."

Draco shot Harry a suspicious look but nodded his head towards Dumbledore and accepted the book that was floated towards him.

"**Diagon Alley**," he read aloud and then paled. "Oh crap!"

Harry just laughed.

**A/N 2:** I will be going to bed now and attempting to write the next chapter at work tonight so it most likely won't get posted until tomorrow morning around this time. Don't forget to leave me a review and tell me how I am doing! Please?


	7. Diagon Alley

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update! This chapter is almost twice the length as the previous chapters, if not more. Another problem is that it is always busy on weekends at work so I didn't have nearly as much time to work on it as I thought I was going to. This will probably be the pattern: more frequent updates during the week with less during the weekend.

To my reviewers who suggested I bring in Sirius… I wasn't going to do that until the second book. It gives everybody a chance to see that Harry has been telling the truth so far and so when Padfoot shows up, more people like Madame Bones might give him a chance to explain before hauling him off to Azkaban. Again, please leave me a review and let me know how I am doing!

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, fantasies and daydreams do not equal out to me owning Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER FIVE - DIAGON ALLEY**

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

**"It was a dream," he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

"It wasn't a dream Harry," said Hermione soothingly. "You can open your eyes."

"Uh… 'Mione," said Harry while trying not to snicker. "I'm right here and you're talking to a book."

Hermione blushed beet red and slapped Harry on the head to snickers around the table.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

_**'And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door,'**_**Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

"I don't think that's your aunt Mate," said Ron with a smirk. "That tapping is too polite."

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

"Welcome to reality, Harry!" called the twins with grins on their faces.

"Shut it!" Harry said while trying to stop himself from blushing.

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.**

"That's not a balloon," said Luna in her dreamy voice. "That's a Luffaboof. They get inside people's minds and create overwhelming happiness no matter what is happening at the time.

The Ravenclaws stared at the weird girl.

"Thanks Luna," said a Harry with a kind smile. "I didn't know that but I'll be on the lookout for them now."

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that." Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

"Prophet owls," called Ginny. "Are trained to attack until they receive their payment."

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl…" **

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

"Hagrid," Professor McGonagall sounded exasperated. "He's not going to know what you are talking about."

**"What?"**

"See!" she said.

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

"Hagrid," called one of the third years. "Why do you carry so much… stuff?"

"Ne'er know when ya migh' nee' it." said Hagrid.

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

**"Knuts?"**

"The first time someone told me that they wanted knuts in payment," Hermione said through her laughter. "All I could picture was a squirrel with his cheeks stuffed."

The other muggleborns in the hall laughed with her while the purebloods looked confused.

**"The little bronze ones." Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

"Hagrid," snapped Snape. "Why in the world did you make Potter go through that if you were just going to get up anyway?"

"Wan'ed to get 'im use' ta wizard'n stuff righ' o' way." said Hagrid with a shrug.

"That," said Snape slowly, with an amazed expression on his face. "Was actually quite logical."

**"Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

"Nope," called Luna. "That was just the Dole Fulamanies. They are mortal enemies of the Luffaboofs and try and destroy them whenever they sense them."

Even Harry didn't have a response for that one.

**"Um – Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."

Angry mutterings were heard from the students at this reminder of Harry's relatives.

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

"Sorry Hagrid," explained Harry. "But as far as I knew, my parents could have been dirt poor."

"'Salrigh' Harry." said Hagrid.

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

"Potter," Draco looked up from his reading with a mild sneer. "Even wizards don't keep their money in their houses."

"Hey, the only thing I knew was what I read in muggle fantasy novels," laughed Harry. "And those wizards seemed to keep their gold either in treasure chests in their towers or in a pile that a dragon watched over!"

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither." **

**"Wizards have banks?" **

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

**"Goblins?"**

"I was just as startled Harry." said Hermione, commiserating with his reaction to the news of goblins.

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you, gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see."**

"And so the insatiable curiosity begins!" groaned Snape to McGonagall who winced in sympathy.

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

"FLEW?" yelled a good portion of the students.

**"Flew?"**

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

Draco paused in his reading as he and every other student tried to picture Hagrid flying.

Draco had to eventually shake his head and continue reading. He just couldn't picture it.

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

"Hagrid!" said McGonagall in admonishment.

"Sorry Pr'ffesor." said Hagrid with a sheepish grin.

The trio laughed at this.

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

"How did your relatives make it back to land Potter?"

"They hailed a passing boat and then had to explain how their nephew left with some stranger in the boat they had used to get there," laughed Harry. "It didn't go over well with the authorities."

Most of the students snickered at this and felt the Dursleys had gotten at least some of what they deserved.

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

"Harry, Harry, Harry…" said Fred

"If you ever…" said George

"Feel like robbing…" said Fred

"Gringotts…" said George

"Make sure…" said Fred

"You invite us…" said George

"Along with you!" chorused the twins.

"Don't even think about it Potter!" shouted Snape and McGonagall in unison.

"Bu… But I wasn't the one talking about it!" exclaimed Harry in confusion.

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

"And that hasn't changed since!" said Ron and Hermione in unison.

"Hey," said Harry. "You guys are just as curious as me!"

The students snorted in laughter while the staff merely shook their heads in resignation.

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

"So what's new?" yelled the Weasley twins.

"Excuse me," shouted Fudge with a red face. "We are not 'messing things up!'"

"You're right Minister," said Harry with a sickly smile on his face. "You have to actually start something to mess it up!"

Students around the hall snickered. Even Draco had to admit that Potter was right about that.

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one.**

"I am not a bungler!" shouted Fudge while standing up and shaking his fist at the students in the hall who just kept laughing at him.

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice." **

"I do not!" screeched Fudge.

"The minister is perfectly capable of running the ministry by himself!" yelled Umbridge in affront.

"I am sure he is Professor," said Dumbledore in a calming tone. "Minister, why don't you sit down and we will resolve this after the book is finished."

"Excellent idea Headmaster." said Fudge while slowly turning back to his normal color.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

"Nothing much." muttered quite a few people.

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country." **

"Hagrid," said Dumbledore gently. "While it may not seem so, the ministry does a little more than that."

Everybody but Fudge and Umbridge caught the insult from Professor Dumbledore and started to laugh.

Percy wanted to act offended on the ministry's behalf but wasn't sure if he should or not.

**"Why?" **

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." **

"As much as I hate to admit it Harry," said Hermione reluctantly. "Hagrid does have a point."

"I know that Hermione," Harry patiently explained. "But that doesn't mean that we should destroy them either."

"I thought your side was all about 'Bring on the Muggles'" asked Draco with confusion and a half-hearted sneer.

"Malfoy," said Hermione with a pointed look on her face. "Think about how the wizarding world reacts to muggles. For the most part, wizards ignore them. However, you have a few different groups in there that cause all of the problems. You have the Death eaters who want to destroy them, you have the muggleborns, who want to save them, you have people like Arthur Weasley, who think they're fascinating and want to study them, and I am sure there are a few out there who want to exploit them."

"Now picture the muggles in place of the wizards and the wizards in place of the muggles in what I just explained to you and that is pretty much how the muggles would react to wizards if they found out about magic. It is just like Hagrid said. To avoid all the issues that would crop up because of a few percentage of the population of muggles causing problems, it would be best if they never found out about us."

Draco and the other purebloods had thoughtful looks on their faces as they considered the problem from this angle. Maybe it was like Hermione said. Maybe they didn't have to destroy the muggles, just make sure they never found out about magic.

They would have to think and research on this some more.

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh."**

"Hagrid," groaned McGonagall. "You need to be a little less obvious!"

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?" **

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

The teachers and staff of Hogwarts groaned aloud and shook their heads.

"What would you do with a dragon Hagrid?" asked McGonagall.

Hagrid just kept quiet but the trio could see him wiping a few tears from his eyes, obviously remember when Norbert was here.

**"You'd like one?" **

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go." They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

"I don't see what is so hard about muggle money," stated Hermione in frustration. "It says the denomination right there on the bill."

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

"What was that you were knitting Hagrid?" questioned Harry.

"Don' righ'ly r'member Harry" said Hagrid after thinking about it for a few moments.

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." **

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read: **

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**_

_**UNIFORM - First-year students will require:**_

_**Three sets of plain work robes (black)**_

"Always getting in the way and causing us to trip over them" said Neville in a quiet, frustrated tone.

_**One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**_

"We never wear it so it's a waste of money" complained the Ron.

_**One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**_

"Extremely useful for everything!" said one of the Hufflepuff seventh years.

_**One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**_

"And all of the many layers you will need underneath that one cloak" commented Harry wryly.

_**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**_

"In case you're like us and you forget your name" laughed the twins.

_**COURSE BOOKS - All students should have a copy of each of the following:**_

_**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**_

"Quite useful!" said the twins with wicked grins.

_**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**_

"Like subject, like teacher," snickered Draco. "Both long-winded and boring."

_**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**_

"To dry. Needs to be written again for a younger audience." exclaimed Ginny.

_**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch**_

No one dared to comment with McGonagall glaring around the room.

_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**_

"Too much information" groaned one Gryffindor.

_**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**_

"Needs to be updated." said Snape with a frown.

_**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**_

"A.K.A. Hagrid's list of possible pets." called out Harry to snickers and groans.

_**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**_

"Pathetic. Just like the teacher who taught it!" sneered an older Slytherin.

_**OTHER EQUIPMENT –**_

_**wand**_

_**cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**_

_**set of glass or crystal phials**_

_**telescope**_

_**set of brass scales**_

_**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**_

"Or a disgusting rat that should have died years ago." muttered Ron angrily to agreements from Harry and Hermione.

_**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**_

"Apparently Potter forgot that part." said Draco with a little jealousy in his voice.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them?**

"Yes!" called children of some of the richer families.

**Were there really shops that sold spell books **

"Yes!" cheered Hermione and the Ravenclaws.

**and broomsticks? **

"Oh yeah!" called all of the Quidditch fans.

**Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? **

"Now you listen here Boy!" called Fred, trying to imitate Vernon. "We don't believe in none of that nonsense called imagination!"

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

Hagrid blushed but called out a thanks to Harry who smiled at him in return.

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it.**

"You were the only ones to see it Harry." said Hermione in an I-can't-believe-I-have-to-tell-you-this tone. "Muggles can only see it if they are aware of it and holding on to a witch or wizard."

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

"Hagrid!" called out the teaching staff in exasperation.

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this- can this be-?" The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

"And the annoyance begins!" grumbled Harry, who ignored the shocked looks he received from the other students.

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an honor." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out.**

**Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

The students in the great hall could hear Harry grumbling under his breath but couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

Ron and Hermione were patting his back in sympathy.

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter." **

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle." **

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop." **

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" **

**Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

"Seriously," muttered one Slytherin in slight jealousy. "Do they have nothing better to do?"

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

People were startled to see the trio glaring at the book but figured it had something to do with how bad a teacher Quirrell had been.

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you." **

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" **

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter." He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose. I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"That stuttering was beyond annoying!" said Katie Bell.

There were shouted agreements from all the students who had experienced Professor Quirrell's class for themselves.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

"Thank you Hagrid!" Harry called out in relief.

"Welcome Harry!" Hagrid beamed back.

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I. Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

**"Is he always that nervous?" **

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. **

"That wasn't his only problem!" called Harry while he and the rest of the people in the know glared at the book.

**Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?" **

**Vampires. Hags. Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up... two across," he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

"Professor Dumbledore," called Hermione. "Do you have to have a wand to open the entrance to Diagon Alley?"

"No Ms. Granger," explained Dumbledore with a twinkle and a smile. "The entrance reacts to the magic in a person, hence why squibs can enter the Alley if they need to."

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop.**

**Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. **

"I did to Harry!" shouted Colin Creevey, pleased to have something in common with his idol.

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. **

All the muggleborns and a few of the halfbloods sighed as they remember their first trip to Diagon Alley.

**A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

"They are mad," Snape growled under his breath. "Ingredients keep getting more and more expensive every year."

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -"**

The Quidditch fans cheered.

Harry smiled with fondness as he recalled his first broom.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was - "Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him.**

**The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them: **

_**Enter, stranger, but take heed**_

_**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**_

_**For those who take, but do not earn,**_

_**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**_

_**So if you seek beneath our floors**_

_**A treasure that was never yours,**_

_**Thief, you have been warned, beware**_

_**Of finding more than treasure there.**_

"We love that poem!" shouted the Weasley twins.

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

Several glares from the staff table were directed towards Harry and his friends.

"What?" yelled Harry in exasperation.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses.**

**There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, Sir?" **

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. **

"Goblins won't like that," said Ron with a grimace. "Bill says there really picky about keeping things tidy so that they don't lose a single knut."

**The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

"Professors," asked Harry. "What do they do with gems that big? I mean, do they cut them down for jewelry or do they use them for something else?"

"Gems like that are used for many things Mr. Potter," explained Professor Dumbledore. "They can be used in artifacts, jewelry, and assorted other items."

"They can also be used in certain potions," stated Snape. "Although the cost of said gems make the potions very rare."

"Huh." said Harry as he sat back to think about what kind of potion would require something as expensive as a coal-sized ruby.

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

"Why did Hagrid have Harry's key Professor?" questioned Hermione.

"Being that Harry's relatives would not be able to access Diagon Alley," clarified Dumbledore. "I felt that giving them the key to a magic vault was rather foolish."

"I guess that makes sense." said Hermione doubtfully.

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." The goblin read the letter carefully.**

"Hagrid," moaned McGonagall. "You don't say that in front of the son of James and Lily Potter!"

Snape merely pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers while the students snickered and Harry tried to look innocent.

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"See!" exclaimed McGonagall. "It's starting already. The insatiable curiousity!"

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

"And so it begins" moaned the teachers.

Harry laughed uncomfortably.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

"I love those carts!" said Harry with glazed eyes.

Hermione and a few others stared at him as if he were crazy.

"What?" Harry burst out.

The students exchanged looks and shrugged.

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

**"I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite."**

"Stalactites hold tight to the ceiling" responded Hermione promptly.

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. **

"I think I like Hagrid's explanation better." chuckled Harry.

**"An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

Ron sighed with a little bit of jealousy at this but then remembered what Harry told him about his family and smiled.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

"And that is just your trust vault," called Draco wistfully. "The Potters were one of the wealthiest families in the wizarding world."

"We are? I mean, I am? It is?" Harry stuttered out.

"Mr. Potter," revealed Dumbledore. "The goblins will be contacting you over the holidays so that they may start to train you in how to take care of your family's financial empire."

"Whoa!" stuttered Harry nervously.

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough.**

"Has the Galleon to Sickle to Knut ratio always been that, Professors?" asked Hermione in her quest for knowledge.

"No it hasn't Ms. Granger," proclaimed Dumbledore. "I am not sure if any of the wizarding world knows this, but the ratio is based on the muggle economy."

The purebloods looked extremely startled at this. They would need to get with their families' financial advisors and see if this was true or not.

**Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." **

"Very well done Hagrid," said McGonagall with an approving grin. "Don't let Mr. Potter run willy-nilly with a lot of money."

Hagrid blushed but smiled while Harry looked offended.

**He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?" **

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

"Yes!" yelled Harry in excitement.

Once again, the students stared at Harry in bewilderment while some gave up and laughed.

"What?" Harry said again, this time with a little anger.

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

"For Merlin's sake Potter," yelled Snape. "At least try and make it to Hogwarts before you try and start killing yourself!"

Harry blushed at the laughter that rang out.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

"That's a very high security vault!" cried Draco in amazement.

"What's in it?" rang through the hall.

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside." Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"Goblins are nasty!" shuddered some of the purebloods.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly,**

The student body followed his example without being aware of it.

**expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty. **

"What!" came the cry at this revelation.

**Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. **

"Ooh!" exclaimed the students.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were trying to contain their laughter. How quickly the students forgot the title of the book.

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

Snape and McGonagall snorted at this.

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

Growls were sent towards the book at this reminder of the Dursleys.

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

Draco stopped reading to look up at Harry and pale.

Harry merely started laughing evilly.

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

"What's mauve?" questioned Ron in confusion that was echoed by the majority of the males in the room.

"It's a shade of pink." said Hermione with a huff.

"And Harry knows this mauve?" Ron started to laugh along with quite a few others.

Harry's evil laughter cut off abruptly.

"Hey," he exclaimed. "I didn't write this, the Unspeakables did. I had no idea that mauve was pink!"

"Uh huh, sure you didn't Mate" said Ron through his laughter.

Harry sat back with a huff and proceeded to pout.

**"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."**

"Who is it Harry?" asked a few people excitedly.

"You'll see!" laughed Harry.

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice.**

"Malfoy!" yelled several people in disbelief.

Draco cringed but knew he had to keep reading. He glanced over at Potter who gave him an encouraging look.

**"Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." **

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

"I am nothing like that fat git!" shouted Draco in rage.

"Draco," said Harry calmly. "Before you go making yourself and everybody in here angry, I want you to think about what you are reading and see it from my point of view. You now know how I was raised and what I went through so this will be a good opportunity to see yourself from someone else's direction. Okay?"

"Fine" he grumbled.

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

"Gryffindor!" cried out the students in Gryffindor.

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

"And I did feel stupid," said Harry in a reflecting tone. "I had no idea what Draco was saying at the time. It was like he was speaking another language."

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"**

"Hey!" yelled the 'puffs in anger.

**"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

"Thanks Hagrid!" called Harry with a grin.

"'Sno pro'lem Harry!" said Hagrid with a grin.

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

Glares were sent towards Malfoy, who shrunk back from them.

'_I wish they would stop glaring,'_ he thought to himself. _'I was just repeating what father had said before. They act like that half-giant is better than me. But no one is better than a Malfoy. Right?'_

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking this boy less and less every second.**

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage - lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

Along with the glares there now came snarls.

Once again, Draco tried to hide while continuing to read.

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

"I wouldn't have either Harry!" exclaimed Ginny while glaring across the hall at Malfoy.

**"Oh, sorry," said the other, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

Pretty much everybody in the hall, except for a few of the professors and Slytherins, now looked like they were out for Malfoy blood.

Draco himself, winced at the comment that had come out of his mouth.

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean." **

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you. They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?" **

Students, mainly muggleborns and a few halfbloods were standing up, looking like they were about to curse Draco before he could read another word.

"Stop!" yelled Harry before anyone could bring their wand up.

Everybody, except Dumbledore who twinkled and Snape who grimaced, looked at him in confusion and anger.

"I need to speak to Draco outside the hall. Alone" he stated firmly.

A few looked like they were going to protest but before they could, Dumbledore broke in.

"Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore. "Why don't you use the antechamber while I send everybody else for bathroom breaks."

"Thank you Headmaster." Harry said in relief. He then turned to Draco. "Malfoy. Follow me."

Draco got up quietly and, while avoiding the glares, followed Harry hurriedly through the hall to the antechamber.

"Alright Draco," said Harry calmly. "Go ahead."

Draco didn't pretend to misunderstand and finally let loose.

"I just don't understand why everyone is so angry! Okay, I know that the comment about your parents was rude but everything else…" he trailed off.

"What about everything else?" Harry asked encouragingly.

"That's what my father says at home all the time." he muttered.

"Exactly!" said Harry with a small smile.

"Exactly what?" asked Draco in confusion.

"You were merely parroting what your father had said!" exclaimed Harry, as if this explained everything.

Draco didn't look like he understood what the problem was.

"Draco," Harry said seriously. "Do you say everything your father says…"

"Of course," Draco broke in. "My father is Lord Malfoy! He is well respected and very powerful! I want to be just like that when I am lord!"

"Or do you ever take the time to form your own opinions?" Harry finished as if Draco had never interrupted.

"Huh?" asked Draco with a weird look on his face.

"I am going to be blunt here," said Harry in an exasperated voice. "Draco, as of right now, there is no Draco Lucius Malfoy, merely Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Jr. Is that what you want to be for the rest of your life? A clone of your father? 'Cause from what I can see that is all you're going to be. You walk like him, dress like him, and parrot his every word. I have yet to hear a single original thought come out of your mouth."

Draco gaped at Harry while he scrambled for the words to tell Harry that what was just said was full of bloody lies.

Harry looked at him with a pointed gaze that seemed to say 'Think about it'.

Harry continued on while Draco was thinking. "Have you ever taken the time to speak to a halfblood or muggleborn other than to spew insults? Have you ever thought to question just what all the muggleborns and even the muggles have contributed to the wizarding world?"

Draco thought about this with some discomfort.

"Have you ever sat down and thought about what would happen to the wizarding world if the muggleborns and halfbloods disappeared? How many pureblood families don't have any muggleborn or halfblood in them? How many people do you know that fall under the label pureblood by your father's definition? If you take those away also, you are left with a very small pool of available people to befriend and possibly marry. Now, what will happen when your kids grow up and the available pool of people is even smaller for their generation? And the generation after that? Sooner or later your grandchildren or great-grandchildren will be marrying their sisters and brothers and turning out children that look like Crabbe and Goyle and have the mentality of a troll."

Draco had paled and looked a little sick at this revelation. _'Harry couldn't be right. He was just spouting out inane questions to try and confuse me.'_

Harry seemed to understand what Draco was thinking. "Don't just listen to me Draco. Do some research. Look through all of those pureblood genealogy books I am sure your family has and try pairing off everybody who fits. See what happens. Talk to some muggleborns or halfbloods about what life for them is like both in the muggle world and in the wizarding world. Try and get in touch with the people who supply the goods your family buys and see what they say."

Draco considered this for a few moments. _'I could do that without going to father first. And if it proves Harry wrong, all the better.'_ he thought to himself and then nodded.

"Well done Draco," said Harry in satisfaction. "If you need any help, I'm always around. I'll make sure everyone stays off your back until you're done. But you have to present your findings to me so that I'll know you actually tried. Once you do, I'll tell you a few more things that you may be ready to hear then, Okay?"

Draco nodded his head excitedly. _'I can do this,'_ he thought in relief. _'This will be easy and I'll be able to prove that Harry is wrong and my father has been right all this time.'_

"Then let's get back to the hall," Harry said with a grin. "I'm sure both our friends are worried about us."

They walked back into the hall in contemplative silence. Harry was hoping that what he had just said would spur Draco into thinking about his life while Draco was already sifting through places and people he could talk to about this without making his father aware of what he was doing.

Their entrance into the hall was met with complete silence. Draco went to his seat to finish reading where he had left off while Harry stood in front of the staff table.

"Listen up," he called in a commanding voice. "There will be no retaliation for anything said or done in these books until I give the okay. Is that understood?"

Students shuffled awkwardly in their seats and turned to look at their neighbors in question. Others looked cautiously at Draco, who merely looked back at them calmly.

"That means that there will be no pranks," he said while looking at the Weasley twins, "there will be no cursing," he stated while looking at the D.A., "or anything of that sort. Or you will have me to deal with. Clear?"

The students were quiet for a few more moments before muttering their agreement.

"Thank you," Harry said with a small smile. "I appreciate your cooperation in this matter."

Harry started towards his seat.

"That reminds me," he burst out suddenly, just as he was about to sit down. "Professor Dumbledore, are we going to be held accountable points-wise for the things revealed in these books?"

"No Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said after rubbing his beard in thought for a moment. "I don't think it would be fair to punish students for something that happened in the past that they may have gotten away with if it hadn't been for these books."

Dumbledore twinkled while the students broke out in cheers, breaking the tension that had held the great hall in suspense for the last twenty minutes or so.

"Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore while chuckling. "If you wouldn't mind continuing?"

"Of course Professor." said Draco with more respect than normal.

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

"I love ice cream!" said Harry in dreamy voice.

"Mmmmhhmmm" mumbled several others in agreement.

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

"The sacrilege!" shouted the twins in horror.

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!" **

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pate boy in Madam Malkin's. "-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in." **

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh.**

"Unfortunately," mumbled Harry in annoyance while trying to flatten his hair over his forehead. "Stupid scar!"

**Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line o' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

"I am still trying to figure out how someone like Lily could be related to some_thing_ like Petunia." said Snape in a low voice to McGonagall, who nodded in agreement.

**"So what is Quidditch?" **

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. **

"The best sport ever!" shouted all the Quidditch fans including Harry himself.

**It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world **

Professor Burbage went back to scribbling down the muggle things she was going to talk about.

**- everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"It is not!" yelled the twins in injured tones.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

Both houses cheered at their mention.

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

"Hagrid," yelled Professor Sprout in an angry tone. "We are not duffers!"

Hagrid blushed and shrunk down into his seat.

Harry piped up. "Professor Sprout," he called. "That was my fault. Hagrid didn't get a chance to finish what he was going to say before I interrupted him."

Professor Sprout and the Hufflepuffs look slightly mollified at this.

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

"Hagrid," shouted Snape. "That is completely unfair!"

Once again, Hagrid shrunk down in his seat looking like he would never sit straight up again.

"Professor Snape," Harry interjected calmly. "You can't really blame Hagrid. He has a reason not to like Slytherins that is completely understandable as you'll find out in my second year."

"Very well Potter," said Snape with a sneer. "But it better be a bloody good reason!"

**You-Know-Who was one." **

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

The Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors, with the exception of the trio, glared suspiciously at the Slytherin table.

"There have been dark lords and their followers from every house." said Harry firmly while glaring around the hall.

The three houses looked down in shame and mumbled their apologies.

The Slytherins and Professor Snape looked at Harry in wonder at his defense of them.

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.**

Again, Hermione and the Ravenclaws were nearly drooling at the description of the books.

**Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from **_**Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More)**_**by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"Go Harry!" shouted Fred.

"We'll help!" yelled George.

Harry shot them grins.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level." **

"Very good Hagrid," McGonagall leaned over to give Hagrid a smile. "Don't let Harry get carried away."

Harry pouted at this.

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

"Professor Snape," called Harry. "I just wanted you to know that before I got into your class, I was really looking forward to Potions. I thought it would be cool. Kind of like the few chemistry experiments we did in primary school."

Snape was disgusted with himself for turning away a potential brewer before he even got a chance to know him.

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

**Harry felt himself go red. "You don't have to -" **

Harry's friends started to finger their wands at this. Oh, if only the Dursleys were here now!

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at **

"Hey!" exclaimed Neville.

"Sorry Neville!" called out Hagrid sheepishly.

**- an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'." **

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. **

"I love your owl, Harry," said Lavender with a besotted smile. "How did you and Hagrid pick her out?"

"Well," began Harry. "When we walked in to the shop, the clerk was busy so Hagrid and I roamed around. After a few minutes, I felt a pull towards the rear of the shop. I followed it back there and found Hedwig in the back. She came and landed on my shoulder immediately and wouldn't leave. The shopkeeper tried to convince me to get another owl because Hedwig had caused problems for her previous owners but I told him that she was definitely the owl I wanted. She hasn't left me since."

As he finished his explanation, Hedwig flew into the room to many admiring glances.

"She so smart!" cooed Parvati.

"She's the smartest, most beautiful owl in the world," Harry said with pride in his voice. "Isn't that right Hedwig? Yes you are!"

Hedwig ruffled her feathers and seemed to push her chest out in pride and bob her head as if to say, 'Of course!'

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivander's left now - only place fer wands, Ollivander's, and yeh gotta have the best wand." A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

"Everybody does Harry," said Hermione with a smile in remembrance. "It's what we all look forward to. Magic doesn't become real for us until we get our wands."

The rest of the muggle raised nodded their heads in agreement.

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

"Does anybody know who that wand actually belongs to?" questioned Hermione aloud.

"No one does Ms. Granger," twinkled Dumbledore. "He changes the name and story every time he is asked."

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

"You felt that Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked in astonishment.

"Yeah," said Harry in confusion. "Why?"

The staff exchanged looks at this. For Harry to react to the magic at Ollivander's, he had to have some very sensitive magic senses. They would need to keep an eye out for anything else about Potter that they should have been aware of.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

The students laughed while Hagrid blushed.

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

"She was the best student I had seen in my charms class in a long time Mr. Potter." stated Professor Flitwick reminiscently.

Harry beamed at learning this fact about his mum.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

"They were creepy." mumbled the student body as a whole.

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

Harry shuddered in remembrance. 

**"And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

"He touched your scar?" squawked Hermione.

"Yeah," said Harry, shivering. "it really creeped me out!"

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.**

Dumbledore shook his head. As if Ollivander knew what Tom was going to do with his wand.

**"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..." He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it."**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled." said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

"Hagrid," moaned the twins. "You never admit to something freely like that!"

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

The students snickered while the teaching staff shook their head in fondness and resignation.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look.**

**"Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?" **

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." **

"Is that true?" asked Neville intently.

"Yes Mr. Longbottom," said Dumbledore with a piercing look on his face. "Why?"

"Nothing," he called out. But Harry heard him mumbling about speaking to his Gran about going to Ollivander's for a visit.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave." Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -" Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"How many wands did you go through Potter?" questioned Draco with interest.

"I lost count after twenty-seven." said Harry with a shrug.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

Harry paled. They were going to find out about the connection between his wand and Voldemort's!

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.**

"Gryffindor colors!" whooped the twins.

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... " He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious…"**

"What's curious?" asked the students.

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?" Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar." Harry swallowed.**

The great hall fell silent at this revelation.

"WHAT!" yelled the great hall with a few exceptions.

Harry tried to vanish under the table.

"Oh come off it," yelled Hermione in anger. "Like Harry is anything like V-Voldemort! Do you really think having the same wand could change somebody that much?"

There was silence as the people tried to process this information. They finally came to the conclusion that Harry was nothing like You-Know-Who and there was no sense in making a big deal about it now. Although a few people resolved to keep an eye out if things seemed to be changing.

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

"Is he admiring You-Know-Who?" asked a first year in a shaky voice.

"No my dear," said Dumbledore gently. "Ollivander merely admires the magic, whether good or bad, not the person doing the magic."

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"It was so weird," commented Hermione. "Like everything I knew was wrong."

The muggleborns nodded their heads.

Snape privately agreed with her.

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

"I wish people would think about that and remember that I was only fifteen months old at the time." grumbled Harry.

People around the hall shot him shameful looks. They remembered wanting to go up and ask him about it but had never dared to.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact." Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"Hagrid," snapped Snape in derision. "You forgot to tell him how to get on the platform. He is going to have no idea how to get on the Hogwarts' Express."

"M'sorry Harry." said Hagrid in an apologetic tone.

"It's okay Hagrid," said Harry with a big smile. "I found my way on the train in time."

"And that is the end of the chapter!" called Draco in relief.

"Who would like to read now?" asked Dumbledore while levitating the book above the students.

"I think Ron should read now Professor," said Harry with a grin. "I think he would like the next chapter."

"Very well Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said while the twinkle in his eye got a little brighter. "Mr. Weasley, would you mind?"

"Sure Professor," said Ron with a shrug. "The next chapter is **The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. **Hey Harry! This is where you and I meet!"

A/N 2: Finally! Finished the chapter. Good Lord it ended up being almost twice as long as any other chapter so far. And now… I must sleep. My new laptop is being delivered later and I want to play with it once it gets here. Please leave me a review and let me know if I made any mistakes or just how you think I am doing. Thank you for your patience!


	8. The Journey From Platform Nine and

**A/N: **I apologize for the wait but my new computer was delivered about an hour after I posted the last chapter and I have since spent the time playing with it and exploring all of the new options. Unfortunately, that left me unwilling to write and so as a result, this chapter is late. I will try and go as fast as possible but I am unwilling to write crap just to get something posted faster. It doesn't help that I had writer's block over this chapter while trying to make it as original as possible without writing something that I had already read in another one of the characters read the Harry Potter books stories.

Let me know what you think and please leave a review!

**Disclaimer:** Both my lawyers and my therapists have informed me that I do not own Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling is not an alternate personality of mine.

**CHAPTER SIX - THE JOURNEY FROM PLATFORM NINE AND THREE-QUARTERS.**

"The Hogwarts Express," shouted a first year excitedly. "I loved riding on that train!"

**Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun.**

"Please. Was it ever fun?" questioned the twins in angry voices.

**True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, **

Quite a few people laughed meanly at this, thinking that Dudley was getting a taste of his own medicine.

**while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him – **

"But that's good, right?" questioned Hannah Abbott hesitantly.

Harry shrugged while trying not to wince.

**in fact, they didn't speak to him at all.**

There was some uncomfortable muttering at this. Most of the students weren't sure if they should be happy that Harry was being left alone or angry at the fact that the Dursleys were treating him like he didn't exist. 

**Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

The students decided to go with angry and proceeded to growl at the book before sending commiserating looks at Harry who ducked his head and was trying not to notice.

**Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, **

"A perfect name for a perfect owl!" Harry declared proudly.

Lavender and Parvati smiled at Hedwig, who puffed up her feathers and bobbed her head in agreement.

**a name he had found in A History of Magic. **

"You read a textbook?" chorused the twins in astonishment.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Ron while shaking his head in disappointment. "I am so ashamed!"

"Ron!" yelled Hermione and whacked him on the back of his head.

Everybody else laughed at this show from the Golden Trio.

**His school books were very interesting. He lay on his bed reading late into the night, **

"Harry," cooed Hermione. "You read all your textbooks! I am so proud!"

Harry blushed and tried to hide as several of his friends just gazed at him in amazement.

"What," said Harry defensively. "I wanted to know everything about the wizarding world as possible. Wouldn't you?"

They considered this and then had to nod their heads in agreement. If they had just found out that they were a wizard, they would be reading everything they could get their hands on, too.

**Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. **

The majority of the females wrinkled their noses in disgust.

**Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.**

"I did that to!" yelled Hermione and some muggleborns.

'_So did I.'_ thought Snape in fond remembrance. 

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day,**

"Harry," asked Hermione in confusion. "Why did you wait until the last day to ask them? What if they said no?"

"I wanted to put as much time in between them meeting Hagrid and me asking so they had a chance to calm down first. Also, it wouldn't give my uncle a lot of time to reconsider if he did actually say yes."

**so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

The students laughed at this reaction, knowing that Dudley deserved it after everything he had done to Harry in his lifetime.

**"Er - Uncle Vernon." Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

**"Er - I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to - to go to Hogwarts." Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?" Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.**

"Can the man actually speak English?" asked McGonagall sarcastically.

**"Thank you." He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

"Finally!" McGonagall called to laughter from the rest of the staff.

**"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?" Harry didn't say anything.**

"Well," Harry said with a shrug. "For all I knew, we may have been traveling by magic carpet once we got to the train station. It made more sense to me than actually using something as mundane as a train."

**"Where is this school, anyway?"**

"Scotland!" yelled the students.

**"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.**

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.**

**His aunt and uncle stared.**

**"Platform what?"**

**"Nine and three-quarters." **

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters." **

**"It's on my ticket."**

'_Stupid Petunia,'_ thought Snape with a scowl. _'She knows where the Express picks up having been there with Lily.'_

**"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother." **

**"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

"Don't know why you bothered." muttered Ginny angrily.

**"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

The people in the great hall broke out into laughter.

"I would have loved to have been in that doctor's office that day," chuckled Hermione. "What I wouldn't give to see the doctor's face when he is confronted with a pig's tail that spontaneously grew and now needs to be removed."

Harry could barely speak through his laughter but managed to get out, "It was great 'Mione. I heard my aunt and uncle talking about it that next summer. They were furious at the doctor because he had used the case and the surgery in a paper for a medical journal. Although the Dursleys names weren't mentioned, they knew who it was talking about and thought that everyone else would figure it out to. They were afraid to go outside and show their faces for months afterwards."

Harry's friends laughed even harder at this while the Weasley twins wondered if they could give Dudley that tail again just to remind him.

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning **

"Five in the morning?" muttered Ron in amazement and then shuddered.

**and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes - he'd change on the train. **

'_Huh,'_ thought Snape. _'Quite intelligent for a first year. Too bad others don't seem to think things through. I don't know how many times the ministry has had to obliviate people in the train station because students or their parents made stupid mistakes while getting on to the platform each year.'_

**He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. **

**Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, **

"She didn't talk him into it," said Harry angrily. "She bribed him. If she hadn't, they would have left me to fend for myself and only taken their precious Dudders with them to London."

Harry's friends exchanged looks and made promises to themselves that they were going to pay back every little thing that the Dursleys had done to Harry.

**and they had set off.**

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him.**

"That's strangely nice of him." commented Professor Sprout suspiciously

**Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.**

"I should have known!" growled Sprout, incensed at the Dursleys.

**"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they." He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

"It's not like we are going to make the platform obvious Potter." sneered one of the Slytherin purebloods.

Harry merely rolled his eyes and refused to respond.

**"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.**

"They left you there?" shouted Professor McGonagall.

"Um… yes?" said Harry while cringing back. He was trying to avoid listening to Hermione's ramblings on the things she was going to do to the Dursleys as soon as this book reading was over.

**Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. **

Hedwig barked out in indignation of this as if to say that there was nothing funny about _her_ looks.

"No, no Hedwig," said Harry in a placating voice. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that most muggles have never seen an owl, let alone one as gorgeous as you and so the people in the train station were wondering why you were there with me."

Hedwig stared sternly at Harry as if to make sure that he was telling the truth and then gave a bark, as if to say 'Continue.'

Harry nervously waved Ron to keep reading before Hedwig changed her mind.

Meanwhile, students and staff alike were trying to control their laughter so as not to offend the obviously proud owl.

**He'd have to ask someone.**

Snape groaned and resisted the urge to put his face in his palms. _'This will not end well.'_ he thought to himself.

**He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters.**

"Well, Potter," said Snape with a sneer. "At least you have that much intelligence."

**The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. **

"Harry," Hermione admonished him. "What if there had been an eleven o' clock train and you had gotten on the wrong one?"

Harry blushed and ducked his head. _'It isn't like it was my fault I didn't know how to get onto the platform.'_ He thought mutinously to himself.

**In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic.**

"Oh dear," said McGonagall under her breath, nervously. "Mr. Potter never does well when he panics."

**According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.**

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**

"No!" shouted several of the professors.

"Don't worry Professors," said Harry calmly with a smile. "That is not how I get to the platform."

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"- packed with Muggles, of course -" Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him - and they had an owl.**

"Weasleys to the rescue!" shouted the twins.

**Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"Why in the world did your mother ask that?" asked Hermione in confusion.

"Yeah," said Dean Thomas. "You would think that she would know what the platform number is by now."

"Mom gets a little flustered at the beginning of each year." stated Ron with a shrug.

"Plus," said the twins. "She wants to make sure we all know where to go."

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go…?"**

"What," yelled Ginny defensively and with a red face. "Everybody else in my family was going or had already gone and I didn't want to be left behind."

The people around the great hall tried to stifle their snickers as they figured they would be acting the exact same way.

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first." What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten.**

**Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it - but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

"That is just your luck Harry." said Hermione with a smile.

Harry pouted at this truth even though he didn't like to acknowledge it.

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother. Can't you tell I'm George?"**

**"Sorry, George, dear." **

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. **

"That joke is so old!" moaned Angelina Johnson, one of the Gryffindor chasers.

"Yeah," said the twins with a smile and a shrug. "But she falls for it every time."

**His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone - but how had he done it?**

"Magic!" called the twins with smirks on their faces.

The students laughed while Harry glared.

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

**There was nothing else for it.**

**"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.**

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

"Mate," Ron said with a grimace on his face. "Could your descriptions be less flattering?"

"It's not my fault," complained Harry. "No one was supposed to be able to read my mind and therefore no one was to know these things. Besides, that description was completely accurate."

Ron glared while Hermione and the others snickered.

**"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is - the thing is, I don't know how to -"**

**"How to get onto the platform." she said kindly, and Harry nodded.**

"Madame Bones," called Hermione. "Why doesn't the ministry or Hogwarts station someone outside the entrance to help those muggleborns who are having trouble accessing the platform?"

"That's a good question," mused Bones. "I wonder why we don't? Albus, do you have any idea?"

"No Madame," said Dumbledore while stroking his beard. "It would be a good idea though. It would also save the ministry obliviators a lot of work that day to. Thank you for the idea Ms. Granger. I will see about getting it implemented as soon as possible."

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

**"Er - okay," said Harry.**

**He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

"It was!" shuddered Harry and Ron in remembrance.

"You'll find out in our second year." stated Harry to the questioning looks being sent their way.

**He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash - It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes.**

**A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. **

"You made it!" shouted several first years in excitement.

Harry merely smiled. He thought it might be a little mean to point out that obviously he had made it as he was sitting right there.

**Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.**

Several people cheered while Harry rolled his eyes.

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.**

**Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat.**

**He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

**"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.**

Neville blushed while the Gryffindors patted him on his back.

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

The twins cheered for their friend as Lee stood up to bow.

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

"Spiders!" Ron squeaked and shuddered.

A few other people in the great hall shuddered with him. They hated spiders to.

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.**

"I don't see why they don't sell trunks with feather-light charms on them," said one of the Hufflepuff seventh years. "It would make things so much easier when you're younger."

There were nods of agreement from the students and several were very vigorous from those who had also dropped their trunk on their foot.

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.**

"Why are you being nice," asked Ginny suspiciously. "You better not be planning on pranking Harry!"

"They weren't Ginny," soothed Harry. "They really did just help me with my trunk."

"Only because we were distracted from playing the prank." muttered Fred to his twin.

"Yeah," whispered George back. "But this was better anyway."

**"Yes, please," Harry panted.**

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

**"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

"Ladies and Gentlemen," announced Harry in a sarcastic voice. "I would like to present to you the winners of the Very-First-People-to-Ogle-Harry-Potter's-Scar Award… the Weasley Twins!"

The twins stood up to take bows to laughter and cheers.

"We would like to thank our mum who told us all of the things we shouldn't do so that we could do them." sniffed Fred Weasley while pretending to wipe tears off his face.

"We would also like to thank Harry for actually being there with his scar for us to ogle," George said in a choked voice. "Without which this award would not be possible."

The students all were rolling on the floor laughing. Even Harry was laughing at the twins' acceptance of the 'award.'

"Oh, sit down and shut up Weasleys!" snapped Snape while trying to hide his twitching lips.

The rest of the staff was not so able to control their faces and smiles could be seen on all of the teachers except Umbridge.

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you –?"**

**"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Harry Potter, "chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."**

There was silence in the hall before laughter broke out.

"'Oh him,'" Draco asked while trying to speak through his laughter. "Really Potter?"

"It was a legitimate reaction," huffed Harry. "I didn't really associate the name Harry Potter with myself at the time and so to be called that was weird."

"What do you mean Potter?" questioned Snape, confused.

"Well," said Harry with a thoughtful look as though trying to figure out how to say what he meant. "My uncle never really called me by name, merely boy or freak or something like that. So, that was one reason I didn't really recognize my name."

Snarls were heard around the hall when people thought about a child not knowing his own name.

"The other reason," Harry continued trying to ignore the snarls. "Was that while I was in Flourish and Blotts, I had read several of the books that talked about the Boy-Who-Lived trying to find out what had happened. They went on and on about this mythical figure who had defeated the darkest wizard of the times as a baby. There were also a series of children's books that I looked at the told of all of Harry Potter's adventures since he was two years old. They said _that_ Harry was out defeating dragons, dark wizards and other assorted bad things while saving people in distress."

A few people looked sheepish as they remembered owning and reading those books when they were small. Compared to what they now knew as the truth they felt stupid to have believed in those books.

"I just couldn't make the connection between Harry Potter, defeater-of-all-things-bad and child hero and just Harry who barely knew his own name and had grown up basically as a house elf. So when the twins asked if I was Harry Potter, for a minute there, I thought they were talking about someone else."

Most people looked shameful as they considered this while Harry's friends and teachers looked livid.

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

**"Fred. George. Are you there?"**

**"Coming, Mom." With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.**

"Saved by Mrs. Weasley!" muttered Harry in relief.

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.**

"Why were you spying on us Harry?" questioned Ginny in confusion.

"I wanted to know what a wizarding family was like." said Harry while blushing.

**Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.**

**"Ron, you've got something on your nose." The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

**"Mom - geroff" He wriggled free.**

A few people laughed while several groaned along with Ron at having parents that didn't hesitate to embarrass them in public.

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

**"Shut up," said Ron.**

The twins snickered as Ron glared at them again.

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

**"He's coming now." The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.**

Percy puffed up his chest in pride at the remembrance of being a prefect.

The rest of the Weasleys glared at him.

Percy looked down with an uncomfortable blush. _'Why couldn't his family be happy for him?'_ he thought to himself. _'They didn't react this way to Bill when he was made prefect and Head Boy. Why do they not like it that I achieved my dreams?'_

Harry looked at Percy thoughtfully. He was going to need to speak to him before too much time had passed and the separation between him and the Weasleys got to bad.

**"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"**

**"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

All of the Weasleys except Percy snorted in disgust.

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once -" **

**"Or twice -" **

**"A minute -" **

**"All summer -" **

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

A few snickers were heard and Percy blushed even more.

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

"Here it comes…" said Fred while groaning.

"The standard warning…" said George, also groaning.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Katie Bell.

"Every year…" started Fred.

"We receive…" continued George.

"What we like to call…" said Fred.

"The standard warning." said George.

"It's what our mum…" said Fred.

"Feels we should…" said George.

"Or should not…" said Fred.

"Do each year…" said George.

"While at school." The twins finished to laughter from the students.

**"Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"**

"You don't give pranksters suggestions!" called out McGonagall, appalled.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mom." **

"It was a great idea!" called the twins.

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron." **

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us." **

"Yeah right!" called out Ron with a groan.

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

"Harry," moaned Ron. "Do you have to notice things like that?"

"Sorry Ron!" said Harry while laughing.

**"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?" Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.**

**"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station. Know who he is?"**

**"Who?" **

"Draco Malfoy!" called Harry in an innocent voice.

Students snickered while Draco glared although Harry noticed his lips twitching.

"Why didn't we think of that?" called the twins in astonishment.

**"Harry Potter!" Harry heard the little girl's voice.**

**"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please...?"**

"Oh Merlin!" moaned Ginny in embarrassment.

**"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. **

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," called Harry. "Now if only you could get that message to the rest of the wizarding world, I would appreciate it very much!"

**Is he really, Fred? How do you know?" **

**"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."**

"Professor Dumbledore," called Harry. "Is there a reason my scar looks like lightning or is it just a coincidence?"

"Do you know Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore in astonishment. "I do not know nor did I ever think to ask that question."

"Hmmm," muttered Harry. "Hermione…?"

"On it Harry!" called Hermione while it writing down on a list of things to research once these books were done.

**"Poor dear - no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform." **

"Harry," said the twins. "You need to stop being so polite. You're setting a bad example for the rest of us."

Harry blushed and ducked his head while people laughed at this.

**"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" **

"Messrs. Weasley," called McGonagall in a very firm voice. "I forbid you to ask him that! That is entirely to rude!"

The twins ducked their heads.

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

**"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."**

"Exactly!" shouted McGonagall.

**"All right, keep your hair on." **

"I can't believe you said that to mum!" said Ron in admiration.

The twins preened but then ducked down.

"We don't think she actually heard us what with all the noise on the platform." They said in a sheepish tone.

**A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

"Aww!" cooed several people while Ginny blushed fire engine red.

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**

"I never did get that toilet seat" said Ginny with a glare towards the twins.

"We ended up sending it to Harry while he was in the hospital." explained Fred.

"We figured he needed it more than you did." finished George.

**"George!" **

**"Only joking, Mom." The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

Ginny blushed again while trying to duck under the table.

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.**

"Anything is better than what you left behind." muttered Hermione angrily.

"Except maybe Azkaban." said Ron in a thoughtful voice as though comparing the two in his mind.

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.**

**"Anyone sitting there," he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full."**

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

Ron groaned and rubbed his nose while people snickered quietly.

**"Hey, Ron." The twins were back.**

The twins cheered their re-entrance into the story.

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

Ron and most of the females all shuddered in horror at the mention of a spider.

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."**

**"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

"Ron Weasley," called Hermione in anger. "There was no reason to be rude!"

"What," said Ron in confusion. "I was just wondering if it was true or not."

**Harry nodded.**

**"Oh -well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know...?" He pointed at Harry's forehead.**

Hermione shook her head in annoyance and resignation.

**Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.**

**"So that's where You-Know-Who…?"**

**"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it." **

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"Mr. Weasley," shouted Professor Sprout. "Your mother told you not to ask him that!"

"Well," mumbled Ron. "Actually she only told the Gred and Forge not to ask."

Professor Sprout huffed and crossed her arms in annoyance.

**"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

**"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

"Sorry Mate!" said Ron.

"It's okay Ron." Harry said with a smile.

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

"Er…," asked Ron, confused. "Why?"

"Because," explained Harry. "You were clearly a wizarding family and I wanted to know everything about the wizarding world including how families were different from the muggle world."

**"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

"And why not?" snapped a fourth year Ravenclaw who had a squib relative that she talked to all the time.

"Mum's cousin doesn't like to talk to anybody with magic." explained Ron.

"He was so angry that he didn't have magic that he cut off ties to the wizarding world and won't talk to mum no matter how many letters she sends." said Ginny.

"It makes her cry…" said Fred.

"Every time he doesn't respond." said George.

"So we try not to mention him in front of mum." finished the twins.

**"So you must know loads of magic already." The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

'_They were not one of the families I had in mind'_ thought Draco with a small grimace.

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

**"Horrible - well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

**"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. **

The Weasleys were looking at Ron in concern but he didn't notice as he was to busy blushing and ducking his head.

**You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. **

All of the Weasleys blushed at the reminder of their poor financial straights.

**I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.**

The trio glared and snarled at the book at the mention of Wormtail.

The students and teachers not in the know about the rat just looked at them confused over this reaction.

**"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

"Ron!" snapped Hermione and Ginny.

"Sorry Mate," muttered Ron. "Didn't mean it like that."

It's okay Ron," said Harry. "I already told you that everything was good."

**"... and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort" Ron gasped.**

It took a second for Ron to realize what he had just read without stuttering before he paled.

Harry and Hermione stared at him in amazement.

"Ron," said Harry with a big grin. "I am very proud of you. Now that you have said it once you'll be able to say it again and again."

Ron somehow managed to blush and pale at the same time.

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people -"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry. "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean. I've got loads to learn... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**

"Mr. Potter," called McGonagall in admonishment. "You are definitely not the worst in the class. In fact, you are in the top five behind Ms. Granger, Ms. Patil, Mr. Malfoy, and Ms. Li. And only a few points separate those five people."

Harry blushed and ducked his head while the students stared at him in wonder. They didn't know that Harry was smart enough to be in the top five in his class. They thought he was just an average student, somewhere in the middle.

**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

"Thanks Ron." Harry and Hermione smiled at Ron's encouragement.

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

"The Cart Lady!" cheered the students especially those who loved candy.

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.**

**He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry - but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life.**

"You know Professors," mused Harry. "It might not be a bad idea to have the cart stocked with a few of the muggle candies so that the muggleborns won't be entirely out of their element from the beginning. Wizards and witches might enjoy some of it to."

"That's not a bad thought Mr. Potter." said McGonagall while trying to think of anything wrong with the idea.

**Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

"Merlin, that's a lot of candy!" shouted one of the seventh year Slytherins.

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

**"Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

Hermione growled at this. _'Those stupid Dursleys,'_ she thought. _'Not feeding Harry the food he needed and deserved!'_

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

Ron blushed. He knew his mum often got his and his siblings favorites mixed up but sometimes he resented that there were so many of them to mix up.

**"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on -" **

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us." **

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," shouted Madame Pomfrey. "I will not have you boys eat nothing but sugar!"

The boys blushed and ducked but were joined by many of the other students who did the same each train ride.

**"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs.**

**"They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

"Harry," scolded Hermione. "Just because they are wizards and witches does not make them non-human. They aren't going to eat real frogs."

"I only have one thing to say to you," said Harry while trying to contain his laughter. "Cockroach clusters."

Hermione grimaced and fell silent.

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

"So am I!" called several students.

"I have Agrippa," smirked Draco Malfoy."I also have an extra one that I would be willing to trade…"

Ron and the other card collectors looked extremely interested in this.

**"What?" **

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

"I don't think there is a Ptolemy card," said Ron in frustration. "I have yet to meet anybody who has had one or even seen one."

There were several mutters of agreement while students asked their friends if they had seen one or not.

"Ah," called Professor Dumbledore. "But Mr. Weasley, there is in fact a Ptolemy card. They are just the rarest of the chocolate frog cards. There is only one in ten million cards made. It was done this way so that people will keep buying the frogs in the hope of getting it. I, in fact, do have one myself but am unwilling to part with it. It took me thirty years to find it."

"One in ten million," Ron mumbled in a daze. "Thirty years? That's a lot of frogs to eat. Oh well, better start eating then."

Harry and Hermione snickered at Ron's new goal.

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

"Woo-hooh," yelled the twins. "Go Professor Dumbledore!"

**"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks."**

**Harry turned over his card and read: **

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**_

_**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.**_

"I still can't believe we spent all that time looking and it was right there in front of us the entire time!" grumbled Harry in frustration.

Hermione and Ron grimaced and nodded while trying to ignore the questioning looks being sent their way.

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

**"He's gone!"**

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."**

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.**

**"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"**

"Professors," called Dean Thomas in interest. "Is there a class or some books that teach you what the difference is between muggle and wizard art? Like how to get the photos or pictures to move for instance?"

"I believe there are some books and I will think about asking one of the wizarding portrait painters to come and give a small lecture for all of those interested." Said Dumbledore with a twinkle.

"Thanks Professor!" called Dean and several others that were interested in art and photography.

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin.**

**He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.**

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger- flavored one once."**

"And how would you know what a booger tastes like?" asked Hermione with a smirk.

"I don't have to answer that." said George while blushing.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner. "Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts."**

Gagging noises were heard all over the hall as students expressed their agreement over the taste of sprouts.

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

"You got lucky Harry!" called George with annoyance.

Fred just laughed at his twin always getting the bad ones.

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three quarters came in. He looked tearful.**

Neville blushed at looking like a cry-baby.

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

"He always gets away from me." sighed Neville.

**"He'll turn up," said Harry.**

"And he always turns up again." said Harry with a smile.

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..." He left.**

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."**

"Sorry Neville." said Ron.

"It's okay Ron." said Neville with a small smile.

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust.**

"I wish he had!" muttered Ron under his breath to Harry and Hermione who nodded while glaring at the book.

**"I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..." He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

**"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway…"**

"Mr. Weasley," called McGonagall. ""You should not be trying to use a wand that has the core of it not fully encased."

"Sorry Professor," called Ron while blushing. "But it's not like we had a choice."

"We have to do something about this Albus," muttered McGonagall. "Maybe set up a fund for people to get new wands or something to that effect. I know for a fact that Mr. Longbottom is using his father's wand at his grandmother's insistence and the wand does not agree with him at all. There may be several other students who do not currently have a wand that is matched to them for whatever reason and it is causing problems in their studies."

"That is a very good point Minerva," mused Dumbledore. "Can you do some research and see what all that would entail to get it started?"

"Of course Albus." said McGonagall with a smile.

**He had just raised his 'wand when the compartment door slid open again.**

**The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

"Harry!" groaned Hermione with a blush on her face.

"Sorry 'Mione!" Harry said sheepishly.

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

**"Er - all right." He cleared his throat.**

**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

The students burst into laughter while Ron blushed and ducked his head. He was muttering angrily to himself about even thinking of trusting the twins.

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.**

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you.****"**

"Merlin, 'Mione" breathed Ron while trying to catch his breath. "You have to breath every once in a while."

Hermione blushed while Harry and other tried to hide their snickers.

**She said all this very fast.**

**Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

**"Harry Potter," said Harry.**

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."**

"I read those to 'Mione," said Harry with annoyance in his voice. "And I don't see how they could have written all that without an interview with one of the people involved. And being that I am the only one that was there and I know that I definitely did not give an interview, you can take everything in those books with a grain of salt. That reminds me…"

"Madame Bones?" called Harry towards the staff table.

"Yes Mr. Potter?" said Madame Bones.

"Does the wizarding world have publishing and libel laws?" asked Harry innocently.

"Yes Mr. Potter," said Madame Bones with confusion. "Why?"

"Just wondering!" Harry called out before shooting a look at Hermione who then scribbled something on her _To Research_ list.

**"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.**

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best;**

The other houses shouted their protest of this before Hermione piped up.

"It was just my opinion," she called out in frustration. "I didn't say any of the other houses were bad."

**I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... **

The Ravenclaws who knew of Hermione and her marks on assignments shook their heads. They still weren't sure how she had ended up in Gryffindor when she clearly should have been in the House of Eagles with them.

**Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron.**

"Ron!" called Hermione in a hurt tone of voice.

"Sorry 'Mione!" Ron said with a grimace.

"'Mione you have to admit that you were a little pushy back then." said Harry in a consoling tone.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud." **

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin?"**

The Slytherins called out their anger at this while Ron blushed.

"Pipe down," shouted Harry in annoyance. "I am sure that all of you made similar comments about the other houses before you were sorted. It wasn't just Ron."

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?" **

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?" Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

"Is there a list of careers for graduates Professor McGonagall?" asked Harry.

"There is Mr. Potter," said McGonagall. "I will make sure to get you a copy as soon as I can."

"Thanks Professor!" called Harry with a grin.

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault." Harry stared.**

The students in fourth year and down looked startled at this news.

"Did they ever catch the person who did it, Harry?" asked Colin Creevey excitedly.

"Kind of." said Harry with a wince.

**"Really? What happened to them?"**

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it." **

"In this case," muttered Harry angrily to his friends. "The sheep were right."

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.**

"So let me get this straight," said Ron in amusement. "You don't care about saying Voldemort but you feel fearful when you say You-Know-Who?"

"Not really anymore," muttered Harry in embarrassment. "Just the first few times."

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

**"Er - I don't know any." Harry confessed.**

"Blasphemy!" called the twins.

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

"Who was it this time Harry?" asked Seamus Finnegan.

"You'll see." Harry said.

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

Harry stood up.

"I just want to remind everybody of what I said a little while ago," Harry said in a firm voice while pointedly looking around the hall. "There will be absolutely no repercussions for anything said in this book without clearing it through me. Is that understood?"

The students looked confused but nodded, some a little sullenly.

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

Most people's faces cleared of the confusion that had been present. Now they understood why Harry had reminded them of what he had said. Malfoy was going to confront Harry and would probably be saying some nasty things.

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snicker. **

"I actually was hiding a snicker," admitted Ron with a little shame. "It's just that I had never heard of someone named Draco before. All the people in my family and the people I knew had names like Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George. Bloody hell, even my own name is common!"

Draco considered this. While he didn't like that the Weasel was laughing at him, even he had to admit that his name was unusual and probably sounded funny to an eleven year old boy.

**Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

The Weasleys growled but didn't dare comment. They could all see the look on Harry's face and it was scary.

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.**

"I actually meant it as a compliment," said Draco with some asperity. "I thought that even though you were a halfblood, you were… cool enough for a Malfoy to befriend."

"Thank you Malfoy," said Harry with a smile. "But I didn't want to be friends with someone based on their blood."

Draco shrugged uncomfortably but was thinking about what Harry had said.

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.**

Several people wanted to cheer at this but one look at Harry's face stopped them.

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

"Aw," cooed Harry with a grin. "Malfoy, you're so cute when you blush!"

Ron and the rest of the students stared at Harry in shock but Draco merely blushed that pink color again.

Harry burst out laughing.

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents.**

Draco winced and shrunk back at the growls and snarls sent his way.

"What did I tell you?" shouted Harry.

"But Harry…" yelled Ron in anger.

"No Ron," Harry said firmly. "No repercussions whatsoever. Period."

Draco sent Harry an apologetic glance. He now realized how completely wrong that statement had been.

Harry smiled in forgiveness. He knew that Draco had only been parroting what his father had said and probably had not realized how it would sound.

**They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**

"I like Ron and Hagrid." Harry said simply.

The two beamed at him in thanks.

**Both Harry and Ron stood up.**

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

"Fight, fight, fight!" chanted the twins who were trying to defuse the tension in the hall.

"There will be no fighting on the train!" yelled McGonagall in exasperation.

**"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"And still are." mumbled Harry to Ron under his breath.

**"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

"What did you do to him Harry?" called several Gryffindor first years excitedly.

"I didn't do anything to him," said Harry with a grimace. "Keep reading to find out what happened."

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle –**

"I still can't believe he helped us!" said Ron in astonishment and anger.

"I guess we'll never know why." said Harry in an annoyed tone.

**Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, **

"To bad he didn't fly out of the window and saved us the trouble he was going to bring later on." grumbled Harry.

"But Harry," consoled Hermione. "We might be able to catch him and bring about Sirius' release."

Harry gave Hermione a look as if to say _'Do you really think that is going to happen?'_

Hermione flinched and looked away in defeat.

**all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

**"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

"I think the whole train heard Goyle yowling" said Hermione with a snicker.

Harry, Ron, and the rest of the students laughed.

Even Draco couldn't help but snicker quietly at his big, bad bodyguard crying like a little girl over a rat biting him.

**"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep-" And so he had.**

"Stupid rat!" muttered Ron.

"Ron…," Harry said with a warning look. "You're attracting way to much attention to the fact that you hate Scabbers. We don't want people to know until we are sure that they will react in the right way."

"Sorry Harry." mumbled Ron with a red face.

**"You've met Malfoy before." Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."**

A lot of students turned and glared at Draco for this but then turned away when they heard Harry cough in warning.

Draco sent Harry a grateful glance. He was thankful that Harry was sticking to his end of the bargain. That meant that he needed to stick to his also.

**He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!" **

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

"Ron," scolded Ginny. "Don't be mean! She was only trying to help!"

"Sorry 'Mione." mumbled Ron while glaring at Ginny.

**"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. **

"Harry," complained Hermione loudly. "I do not have a 'sniffy' voice!"

"Hermione, I didn't write this!" said Harry in exasperation.

**"And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know." **

**Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.**

**He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes.**

**Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.**

"I think you grow every time you put food in your mouth." stated Harry with some jealousy.

"Mate," soothed Ron. "You know Pomfrey is going to fix you up so that you are tall like you're supposed to be."

"Oh yeah," cheered Harry. "I forgot about that!"

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

"Yay, Hagrid!" called several people including the trio and the rest of the Weasleys.

Hagrid blushed but beamed back at them.

**"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

"I thought he was going to be left on the train and I would never see him again." said Neville with a blush.

"It's okay Neville," consoled Harry. "I would have been the same way if it had been Hedwig."

Hedwig puffed up and glared at Harry as if to say 'You'd better!'

**"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." There was a loud "Oooooh!" The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take.**

**Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

"I've never forgotten that first sight of Hogwarts!" sighed harry in happiness.

"Neither have I!" commented a lot of the students as they all smiled in remembrance.

**"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.**

"Professors," called Harry in question. "Why do the first years take the boat and not some other form of transportation?"

"Mainly Mr. Potter," explained McGonagall. "It is so that we can get all of the other years into the great hall and settled down before we bring the first years in for the sorting. The other reason is to give the new students that one-time view of all of Hogwarts."

**Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. "Everyone in." shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!" And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff;**

"Hagrid," said Snape while pinching his nose. "You are the only one tall enough to have to duck their head in order to avoid hitting it."

Hagrid blushed as several students laughed merrily.

**they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, **

"It was kind of creepy." shuddered one of the Hufflepuff first years.

**until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

"Trevor," called out Neville happily. "I don't know how he keeps getting away from me!"

A good portion of the Slytherins started to laugh but stopped at Harry's glare.

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.**

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"Hogwarts!" yelled the twins and everybody started to cheer.

"That's the end of the chapter people!" called Ron with relief. He had never liked reading and having to read aloud with all of the interruptions made him tetchy.

Dumbledore floated the book above the great hall.

"Who would like to read next?" he asked.

"I believe I will Headmaster." commented Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Dumbledore," called Ron in eagerness. "You said that we could have lunch while we read about the opening feast."

"I believe I did," chuckled Dumbledore. "Nippy!"

A house-elf appeared dressed in a chef's hat and a pillow case made to look like an apron.

"Yes, Master Dumblydore?" squeaked the elf.

"Could you please have the rest of the elves send up lunch," asked Dumbledore with a smile. "I believe several of the students will expire if they have to read about a feast with no food in front of them."

"Right away Headmaster!" chirped the elf before popping away.

Just as McGonagall was settling in and turning to the next page, a feast appeared before the students, who cheered and dug in.

"If you will eat quietly," said McGonagall while looking sternly over her spectacles. "I will proceed with the next chapter entitled **The Sorting Hat**."

The hall quieted down and eagerly got ready for the revelations that were sure to come in the next chapter.

**A/N 2:** I will admit that this chapter, while meeting my standards, does not exceed them like my other chapters have done. It feels forced to me. Please let me know if you feel the same way by leaving me a review or PMing me. I will probably go back at some point and redo it but that is not going to be for a while yet.

The next chapter should be out in a few days! Don't forget to review! Happy Father's Day!


	9. The Sorting Hat

**A/N: **I am back in the game and seem to be over my writer's block! Yay for me! Thank you to everybody who reviewed my previous chapters. I appreciate the encouragement and advice that has been offered.

I am going to be introducing some ideas that I have had on the house cup and house system in this chapter. I expect them to create some controversy. Please let me know what you think and if they are too radical for this story. Also, I have decided to place the Crouchs in Hufflepuff due to their loyalty to their causes (whether good or bad). No one actually knows what house they were in so I am using Hufflepuff to prove a point in my story. Grindlewald will become a "Ravenclaw" in that his pursuit and research of the Hallows seems to me like what might happen to Hermione if she got too caught up in wanting to know everything.

I'll understand if people don't like my ideas or think they are too weird but please don't tell me they are stupid and leave it at that. Try and convince me using reason as to why I should or should not have used them.

Don't forget to review! I can't wait to read of people's reactions. Please?

**Disclaimer:** I cannot afford to own Harry Potter although I would like an option for renting.

**CHAPTER SEVEN - THE SORTING HAT.**

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"Thank you Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall with a small smile. "Although maybe you should have reminded yourself of that first impression as you went on through your years here."

"Sorry Professor," said Harry in an innocent voice. "But it's not like I was trying to do it on purpose. Most of the time I was trying to help."

The Professor merely raised an eyebrow.

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

All of the students in Harry's year cheered for themselves.

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it.**

"Why would you want to put a muggle house into the entrance hall?" asked a confused pureblood.

"You wouldn't," said Harry with a smile. "It is just a frame of reference for those familiar with the muggle world. It lets the person reading this know how large the entrance hall was by comparing it to something they would be familiar with the size of, in this case, my relatives' house."

**The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

"I love Hogwarts!" commented Harry in a dreamy voice.

There were murmurs of agreement from the students.

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

"I kept thinking that they were going to tell us we had to participate in some weird ritual to be sorted and, depending on how you acted, that is where you would be sorted." muttered one of the muggleborns sheepishly.

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts.**

"Some more than others!" called Ginny while grinning at Ron and the twins.

"And some, not so much!" called out Padma Patil from the Ravenclaw tale while grinning at her sister Parvati at the Gryffindor table.

Everybody laughed.

**You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."**

"Ah, free time…" yelled Fred with a sigh.

"How we miss you!" shouted George.

The students laughed in agreement while the teachers smirked.

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.**

The houses cheered when their own house was mentioned.

**Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. **

"I want everybody to remember that," called Harry. "It will be important later on."

The students and staff alike were confused but nodded their heads in agreement.

**While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. **

_Cough_, "Gryffindors!" _cough_. A few of the Slytherins jeered playfully.

**At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. **

"No offense Professors," said Harry quietly. "But the house cup doesn't really mean much in the scheme of things. It just adds to the competition and segregation of the houses and all we really get out of it is our colors posted during the leaving feast and a few bragging rights on the train home that year."

The students gaped at Harry while the teachers stuttered in trying to come up with a response to this out-of-the-blue declaration.

"We could probably come up with a better way of doing things if we tried," said Harry. "That way the houses will have less of a reason to fight and compete with each other."

"Harry," said Hermione in astonishment. "That is brilliant! Why haven't you told me of this idea before?"

"It was just something I have been thinking about." said Harry with a casual glance towards the Slytherin table and Draco Malfoy in particular.

Hermione caught on quickly and nodded her head in agreement.

Ron couldn't speak. _'No house cup,' _he wondered to himself in confusion. '_But what will we compete over each year?'_

"What did you have in mind Mr. Potter?" asked Professor Dumbledore with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well," Harry settled in to explain his radical idea to the school. "Instead of a house cup, why not have 'Best of…' cups for each year. That way students are competing on an individual level and won't have problems with their house if they want to make friends with students from another house."

"Points could be assigned and taken away based on individual performance instead of the house as a whole. That way, when someone like me gets penalized fifty points for doing something stupid," it was here that Harry sent a pointed look towards Professor McGonagall. "It would only affect me and not Gryffindor as a whole."

"These cups could include everything from classes, to clubs that form, and even to Quidditch. For example, at the end of the year each professor could award a cup for the best student in their class in each year along with cups like most improved, best class project, and more." Harry explained.

"Ooh," called Hermione as she scribbled down everything Harry was saying. "And if people really wanted to keep the House cup going, it could be awarded based on which house's students earned the most awards. The House cup would still be important but not enough to force students to isolate themselves to their houses for fear that it could affect their chances at the one cup that is currently offered."

"Exactly!" commented Harry in glee.

The students had stopped gaping at Harry and appeared to be considering the idea. It was definitely against tradition but it did seem like it might be a good way to do things. Some students were already considering what types of clubs they could form (like charms, herbology, transfiguration, chess, and more) and who they knew should be in it, including students from other houses.

The professors meanwhile were going over what would have to be done if this idea was implemented. They realized that, while there would be a little more work involved, if it saved them from having to break up both intra- and inter-house squabbles, it would be worth it.

"You're idea has a lot of merit," said Dumbledore while his eyes twinkled brighter than they normally did. "Won't you and your friends see me after we are finished here with your ideas?"

Harry and Hermione nodded eagerly while Ron, continuing to look confused, also nodded his head in agreement.

Fudge looked scandalized. _'Get rid of the house cup,'_ he thought in amazement and disbelief. _'Preposterous!'_

Umbridge decided that this was just more proof of her claims that the Potter boy needed to be stopped before he tried to change all of the traditions that made the wizarding world what it was.

Percy and the rest of the guests couldn't decide what they thought. They decided to wait until they had heard further explanations on the ideas presented before they made up their minds about it.

**I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."**

Some of the students puffed up in pride.

**"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

"I don't see why the sorting has to be in front of everybody," grumbled Harry. "It's embarrassing to sit there while all of the other students are staring at you."

Several students mumbled their agreements. It had made the sorting even more nerve-racking to have to do it front of an audience.

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. **

"Again with the nose smudge!" groaned Ron.

"Sorry Mate!" laughed Harry.

**Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

Harry repeated this action while the students snickered.

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." She left the chamber.**

**Harry swallowed. "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.**

"The Sorting Hat!" yelled a few of the first years.

Harry rolled his eyes but smiled at them.

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet - what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived.**

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall sounded exasperated. "We are not going to give a test on magic to the students before school even starts. Too many people would fail!"

"I'm sorry Professor," said Harry defensively. "But it's not like any of us knew what was going to happen! We were all nervous and coming up with the worst scenarios."

**He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.**

The Ravenclaws once again wondered how Granger managed to be put in to Gryffindor and not their house.

"Merlin Granger," called Draco. "Your whispering like that didn't help any of us to calm down."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said with a blush. "But when I get nervous, I babble out anything that is currently on my mind."

**Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue. **

The students in the hall laughed until they heard Harry's comments.

"That didn't go to well when I got home." he muttered.

It was then that they switched to glares and snarls.

**He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"Dramatic much Potter?" commented Snape wryly.

"That's not fair," protested Harry. "I'm sure the others were thinking similar things at the time."

The students in Harry's year nodded their heads sheepishly.

Professor Snape rolled his eyes but decided not to comment.

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air - several people behind him screamed.**

"I nearly peed in my knickers!" whispered Hannah Abbott shyly.

No one dared laugh because they had all jumped or screamed.

**"What the -?" He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years.**

"That really scared me," said Hermione. "I had never seen a ghost before nor did I think they were real!"

The other muggleborns and muggle-raised nodded their heads fervently.

**They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -" **

"The Fat Friar!" called the Hufflepuffs joyously.

"He's so nice!" added one of the sixth years.

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves. He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?" **

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.**

"Why else would a bunch of eleven year olds be standing in the entrance hall?" questioned one of the seventh year Slytherins in mild disgust.

**Nobody answered.**

"I was too scared to!" called Lisa Turpin with a blush.

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose." A few people nodded mutely.**

That same seventh year Slytherin snorted in disbelief.

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

"Do they do that every year, Professor?" Seamus Finnegan called out.

"They do Mr. Finnegan," said McGonagall with a small smile. "It is their way of introducing themselves to all of the new students before they are sorted into the individual houses."

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me." Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting.**

"It was so pretty!" said Pansy Parkinson in spite of herself.

There were murmurs of agreement from the students.

**These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.**

The students all cheered for their favorite professor while they beamed back at them in thanks.

**Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.**

"I felt like I was standing up to be auctioned off and everybody was looking at me in consideration of what I could bring to their house." said Harry while grimacing.

**The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."**

"One of these days," commented Hermione dryly. "I am going to get you two to read that book!"

Ron, and the students who knew what she was talking about, laughed.

Harry merely squirmed uncomfortably and pointedly did not look in Hermione's direction.

"Harry," said Hermione with a sharp tone. "Why are you looking like that?"

"N… Nothing 'Mione!" Harry squirmed some more and tried to duck under the table.

"Harry," squealed Hermione in shock. "Have you already read Hogwarts: A History?"

"Mate?" questioned Ron in surprise.

"Um… uh… well…," Harry stuttered. "Maybe?"

"But… but… when?" wailed Ron.

"And why didn't you tell me?" demanded Hermione in a hurt tone of voice.

"Um… well," Harry scrambled to find a way to placate them both over his omission. "I read it before I came to Hogwarts that first year. I didn't tell Ron because I thought he would think that I was a geek and not want to be friends anymore and I didn't tell Hermione because I thought that she liked knowing more about Hogwarts then us and would be disappointed that she wouldn't have to explain it all the time."

Both Ron and Hermione were in shock. Why did Harry think that they wouldn't like it that he had read a mere book? They both seemed to come to the same conclusion.

'_Those stupid Dursleys!'_ they thought in unison.

"Harry," explained Hermione in a tentative voice. "You know we don't care about things like that, right?"

"Yeah, mate," chimed Ron. "It's just something for me to tease you about later!"

"Thanks guys!" Harry said with a smile of relief.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.**

"It's great as a Quidditch game days warning system!" called the twins to laughter from the other students.

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

The twins perked up at this and started scribbling ideas down on parchment. Harry heard them muttering about trying to replicate the Sorting Hat to call out nasty limericks and other perverted rhymes while in the Dursley's house.

**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly,**

"A rabbit?" called several purebloods in confusion.

"Muggles have people who pretend to be magicians and use optical illusions and slight-of-hand to make audiences believe they can perform magic." explained Hermione.

Some of the purebloods still looked confused.

"I will be covering the muggles' ideas of magic later on if you would like some clarification on what Ms. Granger just said." called out Professor Burbage.

**that seemed the sort of thing - noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:**

"Sing it Professor!" catcalled the twins.

"I most certainly will not!" said Professor McGonagall.

_**"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**_

"That's the truth." muttered one of the Slytherins.

_**But don't judge on what you see,**_

"Very good advice!" commented Dumbledore.

_**I'll eat myself if you can find **_

_**A smarter hat than me.**_

The twins looked as if they had just accepted a challenge.

_**You can keep your bowlers black, **_

_**Your top hats sleek and tall, **_

_**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat **_

_**And I can cap them all.**_

"A pun," said Hermione sarcastically. "Really?"

_**There's nothing hidden in your head **_

_**The Sorting Hat can't see,**_

"That was unnerving to learn." said one muggleborns to another.

_**So try me on and I will tell you **_

_**Where you ought to be.**_

_**You might belong in Gryffindor, **_

_**Where dwell the brave at heart, **_

_**Their daring, nerve, and chivalry **_

_**Set Gryffindors apart;**_

The Gryffindors cheered loudly and slapped each other on the back.

_**You might belong in Hufflepuff, **_

_**Where they are just and loyal, **_

_**Those patient Hufflepuffs are true **_

_**And unafraid of toil; **_

The Hufflepuffs cheered and congratulated each other.

_**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, **_

_**if you've a ready mind, **_

_**Where those of wit and learning, **_

_**Will always find their kind; **_

The Ravenclaws clapped politely and discussed their house and what it entails to be in it.

_**Or perhaps in Slytherin **_

_**You'll make your real friends, **_

_**Those cunning folk use any means **_

_**To achieve their ends.**_

The Slytherins either sneered at the other houses or smirked with pride but otherwise made no comments.

_**So put me on! Don't be afraid! **_

_**And don't get in a flap! **_

_**You're in safe hands (though I have none) **_

_**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**_

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. **

The students in the great hall also burst into applause at the remembrance of their own sortings.

**It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.**

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

The trio winced at this and wondered if Fred had a little seer blood in him.

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. **

"Merlin," whined Harry. "Isn't that the truth!"

**The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.**

The teachers all laughed at this.

"Mr. Potter," said Professor Sprout kindly. "If that were the case than everybody would be in that house and we would be looking for another mascot and I don't know of any animal associated with queasiness."

Harry blushed and shrugged.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

Hannah blushed at the mention of her name again.

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause - "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.**

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.**

The Hufflepuffs once again clapped for Hannah as though she had just been newly sorted.

**"Bones, Susan!"**

Susan also blushed but decided to wave at her friends scattered around the table.

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

More cheers from the Hufflepuff table.

**"Boot, Terry!"**

Terry grinned at his friends at the Ravenclaw table.

**"RAVENCLAW!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.**

This time the Ravenclaws clapped and cheered.

It seemed that the students were going to re-enact the sorting while reading of it.

**"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

The twins catcalled once again at the pretty girl who blushed but smiled at them in return.

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.**

The Slytherins looked at Harry in affront.

"I'm sorry," called Harry in apology. "But I was nervous and everything looks worse when you're nervous!"

The Slytherins huffed but otherwise didn't say anything.

**He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.**

Growls were heard at this.

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

Justin stood up and bowed to the Hufflepuff table who cheered him on.

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

"It was trying to decide between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff but ended up saying that it didn't think I had the work ethic necessary for the House of Badgers." explained Seamus.

**"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

"I wish you weren't so observant Harry!" complained Hermione under her breath while blushing.

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.**

"Ron!" yelled Ginny.

"Sorry 'Mione!" called Ron while nervously eyeing his sister.

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train.**

"That's impossible Mr. Potter," explained Dumbledore. "If you have received a letter than you are able to attend Hogwarts."

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR,"**

"The hat wanted to put me in Hufflepuff but I argued for Gryffindor like my parents." whispered Neville shyly.

"Well," said Harry with a grin. "Obviously you were right to argue."

Neville blushed and smiled in thanks.

**Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

"Sorry Morag!" called Neville sheepishly.

"That's quite alright Neville." said Morag with a smile.

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.**

"I was pleased," said Draco. "As if I could be anything but a Snake."

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon", "Nott", "Parkinson", then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!" As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

Whispers once again broke out as they would be able to find out what took so long with Potter's sorting.

Harry steeled himself for what was to come. He knew he was going to need to do some fast talking to explain this.

**"Potter, did she say?"**

**"The Harry Potter?" **

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.**

**Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"**

The students were quiet as the pondered what this meant.

Snape and McGonagall, however, were not suffering confusion at all.

"Potter," snapped Snape. "Does this mean that you could have gone into my house?"

"You could have gone into any of the houses?" clarified McGonagall, startled.

"Yes." said Harry calmly and then told her to keep reading before anybody could interrupt.

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, '**_**Not Slytherin, not Slytherin**_**.'**

The Slytherins' faces showed anger breaking through the thoughtfulness at this perceived insult to their house.

"Wait." Harry said and held up his hand while looking at the snake's table with a steady gaze.

Harry motioned for McGonagall to keep reading as he slowly stood up and made his way to the front of the hall in front of the staff table.

**"Not Slytherin, eh," said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that - no. Well, if you're sure - better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

The hall grew silent at the information that had just been imparted to them.

"Before you guys start to erupt," stated Harry firmly. "You will listen to what I have to say. We will discuss this calmly with no yelling and no flinging of insults. Do I make myself clear?"

The students kept quiet as they tried to figure out what Harry could say that would ease them over the shock that had just been sent through them but eventually nodded their heads.

"Now," said Harry. "I am going to ask the room as series of questions and you will chime in with the answers you believe are appropriate. Okay?"

Once again, the students nodded their heads. The teachers, themselves startled nearly incoherent, decided to allow Harry to continue in hopes that he would explain what he was doing. Dumbledore just twinkled quietly.

"Very well," Harry said with a small smile. "First question… are Slytherins evil? Snakes, I expect you to keep quiet for some of these questions and just listen. Everybody else may raise their hands when they think they have an answer."

Almost everyone but the snakes raised their hand eagerly.

"Ron?" called Harry.

"Of course they are," Ron said heatedly. "Everyone knows that the snakes are evil, slimy, junior death eaters."

There were furious nods of agreement from all but a few of the Ravenclaws and Hermione.

Harry sent a quelling glare towards the snake table and Professor Snape who looked like he was about to interrupt.

"Very well," said Harry. "So Slytherins are evil. Now for the next question. How do you know that this is true?"

Hands shot into the air just as fast as the first time.

"Justin?" asked Harry still maintaining his calmness.

"It's like Ron said," exclaimed Justin. "Everybody knows that V-V-Voldemort was a Slytherin and so were all of his death eaters! You know this! You've fought them!"

Harry held up his hand for silence when the rest of the students erupted into chatter.

"And that brings me to my first point," said Harry with a small smile. "On my list of people who I hate and are trying to kill me, the first one is of course, Voldemort who was a Slytherin. Do you know who the second is? Ron, Hermione, you should know the answer to this question."

Ron looked confused while Hermione had an enlightened look on her face.

"The second," she glared at Madame Umbridge and Fudge. "Without mentioning any names, would be a Gryffindor."

The students in the hall fell silent at this revelation.

"Exactly," called Harry. "The second on my list of people to hate and are trying to _kill_ me is a Gryffindor. Specifically, the one who betrayed my parents to Voldemort."

The snakes looked startled but began to see where Harry was going with this.

Professor Snape sat back into his chair. _'It seems Potter may be able to do what I have been trying to do for years. Prove that Slytherins aren't necessarily evil and should be given a chance.'_

The rest of the students gaped at Harry in shock. They had forgotten about Sirius Black being in Gryffindor.

"The next one," Harry went on. "Would be a Hufflepuff. Does anybody know who I am talking about?"

The Hufflepuffs couldn't have looked more shocked if Harry had declared that Voldemort himself was a Puff.

The rest of the students looked confused on top of their shock.

"Hmm," muttered Harry. "I guess no one knew of this one. The Hufflepuff is Bartemis Crouch, Jr. I know most of you won't be able to figure out why but you will eventually learn later on."

The students at the Hufflepuff table looked like they were going to shout out in their house's defense but Harry shot them a look telling them to keep quiet.

"The fourth," here Harry shot Draco an apologetic glance. "Is a Slytherin named Lucius Malfoy. Not Draco Malfoy but Lucius."

The students grew restless at the list of people who Harry had just mentioned. They hadn't known that there were so many death eaters from other houses. This couldn't be true, could it?

"I see that many of you realize where I am going with this," said Harry in satisfaction. "Except for Voldemort, the rest of the people who are trying, or going to be trying, to kill me come from all of the houses at Hogwarts. You cannot make a statement like 'Slytherins are evil' based on a few people. If that were the case, then I should have told the Sorting Hat that it should not have sorted me in the first place."

The majority of the students looked like they were considering this new information.

"But Harry," called Ron triumphantly. "The snakes all act like they are evil and that You-Know-Who is right!"

"That's a good point Ron," called Harry. "But consider this. If you had decided that you thought Voldemort was right on everything he had been saying, would you come out an announce it to the world? Namely your friends and family? Or would you hide your decision from them so that they don't turn on you right then and there? Especially if you knew your mother would get wind of it?"

Ron looked shocked at these questions but did try and consider what he would do. He came to the realization that if he _had_ changed his mind about Voldemort he would definitely _not_ tell anybody for fear of being killed.

Harry smiled as the answer dawned on several of the students' faces.

"So," concluded Harry. "Until you have proof that what you say you know is true, you shouldn't make statements like someone is evil based on circumstantial evidence. There have been Dark Lords and their followers from every house in Hogwarts. As an example, let's ask the Headmaster a few questions."

Harry turned to look at the staff table and Professor Dumbledore, who sat up straighter in his seat while the twinkle in his eye got even brighter in response.

"Professor Dumbledore," asked Harry with a smile. "Everybody knows that you were the one who defeated Grindlewald and that he went to Durmstrang."

The professor nodded his head in agreement.

"However," said Harry. "If Grindlewald had gone to Hogwarts, what house do you think he would have been in?"

The Headmaster stroked his beard as he thought about that question.

"He most likely would have gone into Ravenclaw," exclaimed Dumbledore. "Although Slytherin would be a close second it definitely would have been Ravenclaw."

It was now time for the Ravenclaws to be shocked and defensive.

"And can you tell us why that would be?" asked Harry with excitement.

"Of course my boy," said Dumbledore. "Gellert was the consummate scholar. It is what led him to his downfall. Once he had finished researching all of the 'light' information he could get his hands on, he moved on to the dark side of magic. Granted, dark magic as classified by the ministry, is not _all_ bad, however Gellert took it to extremes and it led to him wanting to take over and destroy what he perceived to be the filth of the magical world."

"Thank you Headmaster!" said Harry while grinning at the support from Dumbledore.

He turned back to the students.

"And there you have it," he yelled in jubilation. "The house stereotypes that are bandied about are, for the most part, completely ridiculous. Remember what Professor McGonagall said before the sorting and I told you to specifically remember when it was read?"

"'Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards.'" called Hermione promptly.

"Each house does have its own noble history," said Harry with a grin towards all of the tables. "And each house has produced outstanding witches and wizards. Each house has also produced some of the worst in history. And try and remember what the Sorting Hat sang before it sorted us all."

The students all sat there and remembered the descriptions for each of the houses.

"Take me for example," said Harry with a grimace. "I am in Gryffindor because I am brave but, I could have gone into Ravenclaw because of my intelligence, and Hufflepuff, because of my loyalty towards my friends and willingness to work hard. I also could have gone into Slytherin, because let's face it, I do have a certain disregard for the rules when I decide there are things more important at stake and I am perfectly willing to use any cunning I have to find out what I need to know."

The students and teachers both laughed feebly at this truth.

"Everyone in here could have been put into more than one house," Harry declared. "Both Draco and Hermione could have gone into Ravenclaw, I'm sure. You already know that Neville and Seamus both could have gone to Hufflepuff. There are bound to be many others that had the same problem. The Sorting Hat sorts based on what you desire or which house you have the most traits in abundance of. That does not exclude having traits from the other houses as well."

The students all nodded in agreement with this.

"So why did you tell the Sorting Hat to not put you into Slytherin Potter?" called Millicent Bulstrode in confusion.

"Because I was eleven at the time and had been told that Voldemort came from Slytherin," Harry said while wincing. "I had no idea what the houses really meant or anything else about Hogwarts and so that, coupled with meeting Draco, caused me to ask not to be put into Slytherin. It had nothing to do with Slytherin being the house of 'Evil.' I just didn't want to be put into the house of my parent's murderer nor did I want to room with Draco."

"Huh," mumbled Millicent. "I guess that makes sense."

"Now," Harry said with relief. "I want everyone to remember this conversation the next time you decide to say something like 'Slytherins are evil' or 'Hufflepuffs are a bunch of duffers' and know that making generalizations and stereotypes about the houses is stupid and rather untrue. For Merlin's sake, look at Cedric! He was a Hufflepuff and was the one student chosen to represent Hogwarts in the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

The students nodded their heads and gave their agreement to this. It had definitely been proven to them that obviously the house system and the sorting in general was a lot more complicated than they had originally thought.

The teachers all exchanged glances of pride for the education that Harry had just imparted to the students. They had been trying for years to do the same thing and he had managed it in just an hour or so. A few of them wondered if Harry might like to be a professor when he graduated Hogwarts. He would be excellent at it and probably well-liked to.

"Very well done Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore over the chatter that had erupted in the hall. "I have been trying for years to impart the same wisdom and have not yet managed it. But you did just a fraction of the time."

Harry blushed and ducked his head.

"Mr. Potter," said Madame Bones with an approving smile. "Have you ever thought of becoming a politician and going to work for the ministry?"

Fudge paled at the thought of the competition that would be present if the Boy-Who-Lived decided to run for office.

Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust and shook his head no.

Umbridge looked incensed but wisely, chose not to say anything.

Percy had a thoughtful look on his face. Obviously Potter was a lot more intelligent than he had given him credit for. Maybe all of the things he had been saying had some truth to them after all.

"Thank Merlin," exclaimed Tonks. "I think you could convince people of anything!"

Professor McGonagall waited as Harry made his way back to his seat and then continued on with the reading.

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. **

**Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" **

The twins decided to repeat this action and chanted "We got Potter! We got Potter!" to laughter from the hall.

**Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

"I hate it when they do that!" shouted one third year muggleborns.

The students nodded while shuddering in remembrance.

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back.**

Harry again grinned at Hagrid who beamed back.

**And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. **

"I think he glamours it to stand out like that!" grumbled McGonagall to Snape who nodded his head in agreement.

**Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

The trio growled at the book.

"Stupid turban!" mumbled Ron.

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table.**

Dean held up his hands in a victory sign as the Gryffindors cheered.

**"Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.**

"I was so nervous," grumbled Ron. "Thanks for that mate!"

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. **

The Slytherins clapped politely as Blaise had a smug look on his face.

**Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.**

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.**

"It _was_ ages ago!" said Harry in frustration.

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

"Nothing could have," said Dumbledore. "I love having Hogwarts full of students!"

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"**

The students exchanged confused glances and then shook their heads in resignation. It was Dumbledore, what could they do?

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.**

**"Is he - a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.**

"Of course my boy," exclaimed Dumbledore. "All the best wizards go a little mad after a period of time!"

**"Mad." said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry." Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.**

"Thank Merlin we have food now or I would be so hungry!" said Ron in relief.

The rest of the trio and Weasleys snickered as they thought about Ron and his quest to eat everything.

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry,**

Harry snorted in disbelief as students glared at the book.

**but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if it made him sick. **

The twins scribbled on their 'Things to do to the Dursleys' list with angry looks on their faces.

**Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat.**

**It was all delicious.**

"Yeah!" mumbled several students in a daze as they thought about the Hogwarts feasts that took place each year.

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak, "Can't you -?"**

**"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. **

"I will never come back as a ghost!" shouted Ron in horror to the snickers heard around the hall.

**I don't think I've introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower." **

The Gryffindors cheered at the mention of their resident ghost.

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

"How can you be nearly headless?" said one third year Slytherin in confusion.

**"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

**"Nearly Headless. How can you be nearly headless?" Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

"It actually was," said one of the Gryffindor seventh years. "He does that every year so that people will ask him about it."

The Gryffindors laughed.

**"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly.**

"Oh," mumbled the same third year Slytherin with a pale face. "So that's how!"

There were shudders of disgust from students around the hall.

**Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year. Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! **

The Gryffindors grumbled to themselves as the Slytherins looked smug.

Professor McGonagall had a disgusted expression on her face while Professor Snape merely smirked.

**The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost." **

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

"Thanks Potter!" called Draco wryly.

"You're welcome Draco!" called Harry with a grin.

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.**

"Harry," asked the twins with hungry faces. "Do you know how he got covered in blood?"

"No." Harry said with a shrug.

The twins exchanged looks and then called out, "We'll be taking bets on Harry finding out what happened to the Bloody Baron before he graduates Hogwarts! Any takers?"

"Oi!" said Harry in annoyance.

"What," questioned the twins. "It's not like it isn't a viable bet! Everybody knows that you, Ron, and Hermione know or are involved in the majority of the secrets in Hogwarts!"

The students laughed as they considered how much they should bet.

Harry grumbled under his breath as Ron and Hermione laughed uncomfortably.

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding - As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.**

"As it always does for the first years." muttered a few of the older students.

**"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." The others laughed.**

"That's not a laughing matter!" called Harry and Snape in unison.

They exchanged glances before Professor Snape continued.

"Your dad could have been really angry and left or stayed and taken it out on you." said Snape with a severe frown as he thought about his own family and how his dad had stayed and taken his anger out on him.

Seamus paled and stuttered his apologies. He hadn't thought about it that way before.

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.**

**"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville,**

Harry sent Neville a commiserating smile.

Neville tried to smile in thanks but couldn't quite manage it.

**"but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. **

"Don't you mean squib, Neville?" asked Susan Bones in confusion.

Neville blushed.

**My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – **

"He what?" shouted McGonagall in rage.

Neville tried to stutter out a reply.

"I will be having words with your grandmother, Mr. Longbottom!" called out the professor in angry tones.

**but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. **

There were several cries of outrage at this while Neville just blushed harder and tried to duck under the table.

**But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."**

"Not really much of a present," mumbled Harry. "Especially after what they put you through!"

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing - ").**

"Hermione," called the twins. "I think you were the only one to voluntarily speak with Percy the Prefect!"

Percy blushed in anger while Hermione just shrugged.

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet.**

**Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.**

"Mr. Potter!" called Professor Snape in an angry voice.

"I'm sorry Professor," said Harry in a defensive tone. "But it's not like I knew that the description would be made known to all and sundry."

Snape glared half-heartedly. He could understand that. He would be in deep trouble if his thoughts were ever read out to Hogwarts at large.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes - and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.**

"Wait, what?" exclaimed Snape in confusion. Could Potter sense the dark mark on his arm?

Harry shook his head with a pointed look at the empty seat next to him where Quirrell had been in the book.

Snape looked confused for a second before he realized what Potter was trying to point out. He nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement.

The rest of the students, who had missed this exchange, looked at each other in confusion and the beginnings of anger.

**"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.**

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look - a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

The students in Gryffindor growled their agreement at this statement.

Snape looked mildly uncomfortable.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job.**

Snape mumbled under his breath. He was not after the DADA job! He liked teaching potions and didn't want to fall prey to the curse on the job and only be able to stay at Hogwarts for another year.

**Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." **

"That's true." shrugged Snape.

**Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn't look at him again.**

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.**

**"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you."**

**"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

The twins tried to look innocent.

"If I had known at the time," mumbled McGonagall. "I would have told Dumbledore to also look towards Harry and his friends."

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."**

The students snorted. Like _that_ was going to happen!

**"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."**

The Quidditch fans cheered.

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.**

"You know Professor," mused Harry. "Telling the students that there is something they shouldn't do probably just encouraged a few of them to try."

**"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.**

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." **

"Because the prefects need to be told everything Percy!" called the twins sarcastically.

Percy merely turned his head and didn't look at them, although Harry could see a faint tinge of pink on his cheek and ears.

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

"Too observant for his own good!" muttered Snape under his breath getting nods from the other Professors.

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

**"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:**

The twins and several others, including Dumbledore, joined in.

_**"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, **_

_**Teach us something please, **_

_**Whether we be old and bald **_

_**Or young with scabby knees, **_

_**Our heads could do with filling **_

_**With some interesting stuff, **_

_**For now they're bare and full of air, **_

_**Dead flies and bits of fluff, **_

_**So teach us things worth knowing, **_

_**Bring back what we've forgot, **_

_**Just do your best, we'll do the rest, **_

_**And learn until our brains all rot.**_

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

This time the twins finished in operatic voices that caused the rest of the people in the hall to glare at the noise they were making.

**Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.**

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" **

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.**

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

"Peeves!" called the twins in delight.

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself" A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"**

"That was mean," said the twins. "Pulling out the Baron card that early in the game!"

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!" He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

"A good response to Peeves being anywhere near you." called a Hufflepuff seventh year.

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.**

The twins huffed and glared at Percy.

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head.**

"Poor Neville." cooed Hannah Abbott.

Neville blushed but smiled at Hannah in thanks.

**They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."**

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

"The Fat Lady!" called the Gryffindors with grins.

**"Password." she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up –**

The other houses leaned forward, eager to find out what the Gryffindor common room looked like.

**and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

"But that's just like ours!" yelled one of the Slytherins.

"Of course it is," squeaked Professor Flitwick. "All of the houses common rooms are the same except the colors and minor things like more bookcases in Ravenclaw's common room and more game tables in Gryffindor's."

The students all muttered their disappointment at this. They thought there would be something more significant in the differences between the houses' common rooms.

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.**

**"Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings.**

"It was!" called Ron as he filled up his plate again with more food.

**"Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."**

The trio once again glared at the mention of Scabbers and how close he had been to them that entire time.

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.**

**Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully - and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it -then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold - there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.**

There were a lot of pale faces at the mention of this dream.

"I don't remember having that dream," mumbled Harry in confusion. "Although it does sound like one I would have had."

Professor Dumbledore exchanged uneasy glances with Snape over what they had just heard. Could Harry have subconsciously realized that Voldemort was there and that Snape was a death eater? They would need to investigate this.

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"That explains it!" called Harry in relief. "I didn't remember it. I thought I was losing my mind trying to figure out why I couldn't currently remember something like that."

"And that is the end of the chapter," said Professor McGonagall. "Who would like to read next?"

"I'll do it!" called Tonks in excitement.

Professor McGonagall handed her the book.

Tonks opened it up to the next page and read the title out loud. "**THE POTIONS MASTER."**

Professor Snape paled a little but otherwise made no comment. He knew that this was going to go badly for him and he deserved whatever they decided to throw at him.

"Here we go!" called Tonks while trying to contain her snickers.


	10. The Potions Master

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update such a short chapter but I had to re-write portions of it several times. I wanted Snape to get what was due to him but I didn't want people to get carried away. I also debated on the level of Harry's interference and finally decided on this.

As I explained to one reviewer, Harry is defending Draco because he was, and still is, basically a kid. He was using the examples that he had before him, namely his father, and trying to pattern his own behavior after that. It wasn't like he was allowed to interact with anybody but the children of death eaters and their parents before he went to Hogwarts and so, had no other people to look up to.

Snape, on the other hand, was an adult and should have known better. That is why I allowed Harry to let everybody yell at him for a time. Harry and I figure that he deserves it in that he had become what he hated by being a bully to three-quarters of the school. He was also helping to spread the dislike of Slytherin by favoring them so much. I did however, want his redemption to become apparent in that he realizes he was wrong and felt he deserved what was being done.

Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter, there would be two versions (like the Grimm's Fairy Tales), one for kids and one for adults.

**CHAPTER EIGHT - THE POTIONS MASTER.**

**"There, look."**

**"Where?"**

**"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."**

"So all I am is 'the tall kid with red hair?'" asked Ron with a grimace.

"Trust me Ron," mumbled Harry. "They learn your name fast enough and that is not necessarily a good thing!"

**"Wearing the glasses." **

**"Did you see his face?" **

**"Did you see his scar?" **

"Come one…" called Fred.

"Come all…" yelled George.

"Marvel at the new…" said Fred.

"Amazing…" said George.

"Boy-Who-Lived…" said Fred.

"And his scar…" said George.

"Shaped like a bolt of lightning…" said Fred.

"Here for only a short time…" said George with a smirk.

"Seven years…" laughed Fred.

"So see him while you can!" finished the twins through their laughter.

The rest of the students blushed in shame while laughing sheepishly.

"Thanks guys," grumbled Harry. "As if I didn't already feel like a sideshow freak."

**Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring.**

"Seriously," called Harry in frustration. "It's just a scar!"

"Mate," said Ron seriously. "I don't think you are grasping what was going on. It wasn't that people wanted to just look at your scar; it was the fact that here was the person who stopped V-V-Voldemort and kept him from killing anybody else. Namely their friends and families."

Most people nodded their heads in agreement.

"Huh," mused Harry. "I never thought of it like that. But still, they could have just looked one time or so and then moved on. Yet, people are still stopping to whisper about me in the halls!"

"Potter," called Draco in a long-suffering tone. "The whispering continued because of all the things you are rumored to have been involved in over the years not just because of your scar."

"Oh!" Harry said and then blushed uncomfortably.

**Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.**

"I kept passing people I had already seen," said Harry. "It made me think I was going in circles and was lost."

The students, who all knew they had done something similar, winced while blushing.

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump.**

"I hate that staircase!" called Neville with a frown.

**Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, **

"The kitchens!" shouted the twins with glee.

**and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. **

"See Ron," said Hermione smugly. "You _can_ learn some interesting things from Hogwarts, A History!"

Harry tried to control his snickers as Ron stuttered.

**It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk.**

They can walk Mr. Potter," called Professor Dumbledore with a smile. "It is part of the school's defense system."

**The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open.**

"I wish they'd stop doing that!" someone called.

"Really," said Dennis Creevey with excitement. "I love it when they do that!"

People just shook their heads.

**Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"**

"Your father and his friends taught him that Mr. Potter!" called McGonagall with annoyance.

**Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. **

"That must be a record," called the twins in astonishment. "It took us a week to get on his bad side!"

"And you haven't left it since!" yelled Ginny while laughing.

"Of course not," said the twins in affront. "It's the mark of a good prankster!"

**Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. **

The professors looked both angry and worried at this.

"We weren't trying to get in on purpose," called Harry calmly. "It was an accident. We were lost and didn't know it."

The professors looked somewhat mollified.

**He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.**

"A coincidence," mumbled Harry to his friends. "I think not!"

"Stupid turban!" grumbled Ron.

"He was probably already trying to test the defenses around the stone." Snape said under his breath to McGonagall who nodded her head in annoyed agreement.

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. **

"That blasted cat!" yelled a few students.

"I still don't know how he moves around the castle so fast without magic!" grumbled one seventh year Slytherin pureblood who had been caught a few times by 'that blasted cat.'

**Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins)**

The twins cheered for themselves.

"And now us!" said Hermione with a grin.

Harry and Ron laughed.

**and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.**

"That's not very nice!" called Luna, looking less dreamy than usual.

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.**

Harry received some rather disbelieving looks at this.

"What," he called in defense. "I was raised by muggles. I could only go on what I had read in muggle fantasy novels."

**They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets.**

"Professor Sinistra," called Hermione. "Do you keep up to date with the muggle discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics?"

"No I do not Ms. Granger," said Professor Sinistra in confusion. "And what is Astrophysics?"

"Ooh," squealed Hermione in her chance to impart knowledge to a professor. "Muggles have discovered way more about our solar system and the galaxies surrounding it then the wizarding world has. Muggles even landed on the moon over twenty years ago and have since sent out several people on numerous missions into space. They have pictures and rocks from the surface of the moon and tons of pictures of the other planets. And Astrophysics is the muggle study of the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects like galaxies, stars, and planets, as well as their interactions and behavior. I'll have to bring you some books from the muggle world when I go home over the Christmas holidays."

The purebloods looked shocked at this. The muggles had landed on the moon? Was that even possible? And regularly going out into space? Why hadn't wizards already gone there? Could they even do that?

Professor Sinistra looked very interested in this. "I would very much appreciate that Ms. Granger. Why hasn't one of the other muggleborns told me about this before?"

"We figured that you both already knew and didn't care," called one of the seventh year Ravenclaw muggleborns. "Or that if we did tell you, you would dismiss it being that it was muggles who had done it. We've heard all the 'muggles are inferior' crap that is spouted every day and decided that no one would be interested."

The older muggleborns nodded their heads.

"I use one of the astronomy texts I have from home to do my Astronomy homework." called another muggleborn.

"Is that why the muggleborns consistently perform better in astronomy than all of the others?" asked Sinistra, astonished.

Hermione nodded her head while the purebloods looked discombobulated. They would need to look into this.

**Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.**

"I love Herbology!" called Neville with a smile.

"And you're really good at it to!" Harry grinned at him.

**Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.**

"Headmaster," said McGonagall. "We really need to find another history professor. There is only one or two people each year who attempt to take the NEWT in history and all the students do is sleep in class."

"Maybe I can convince Remus to come and teach it," said Dumbledore after thinking about it. "The students loved him and he would be able to keep the students interested in the subject."

**Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.**

Students around the hall laughed at one of their favorite professors who squeaked again and blushed.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.**

Of course I did," called Professor McGonagall with a huff. "Otherwise students will think they can get away with things in my class that are not allowed."

**"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.**

"In-animate to animate transfigurations will not be covered until your sixth year." said McGonagall with a frown. "It is much too difficult for anybody younger than that!"

The older students smirked at the younger ones. They could do that now!

The younger students looked despondent at the information that it would take a while before they would be allowed to do anything cool like that.

**After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match;**

Hermione blushed while simultaneously looking annoyed. "Don't give me that Harry Potter! You were the first person to get it in the next class!"

Harry joined Hermione in blushing.

**Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.**

"Whoa," yelled the twins. "You got a smile from McGonagall? You must be good!"

**The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke.**

"They were more than just a 'bit of a joke'," mumbled one Slytherin. "They were completely ridiculous!"

**His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. **

Harry grimaced as he remembered why Quirrell had smelled of so much garlic.

**His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren't sure they believed this story.**

"His turban definitely wasn't a gift from anybody!" called Harry with a disgusted look on his face.

The students all turned to Harry with questioning looks on their faces but Harry would not satisfy their curiosity.

"You'll find out where it came from later on." he told them while shrugging.

**For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban,**

Ron and Hermione blanched as they realized what they had smelled that entire time.

**and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.**

"I guess you could say that the garlic was for protection." said Harry in a thoughtful tone to disgusted looks from the rest of the trio.

**Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else.**

"Of course not," called Anthony Goldstein. "Even purebloods don't teach their kids much at home beforehand."

**Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.**

"You used Ron as an example?" snorted the twins.

"Hey!" called Ron with indignation in his voice.

**Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.**

The students clapped for the two while trying to hide their snickers.

Ron and Harry exchanged looks and then shrugged while standing up to take a bow.

**"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.**

**"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them - we'll be able to see if it's true."**

"He does and it is!" called three-quarters of the student body.

"Of course I favor them," called Snape with a mild sneer. "No one else will. In fact they are actively discriminated against!"

"Excuse me," called McGonagall with an angry look. "I do not discriminate in my classes! I don't care who you are or what house you come from. If you are doing well in my class, you will receive points. If you are acting up or messing around, you will lose points."

The other professors nodded their heads fervently.

**"Wish McGonagall favored us." said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.**

"Of course not Mr. Potter," said McGonagall with a stern look. "How else will you learn the material?"

**Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.**

"I couldn't help but think of the film 'The Birds' by Alfred Hitchcock," shouted one of the Hufflepuff second year muggleborns. "I thought they were here to attack!"

The students who got the film reference laughed while the rest just looked confused. Why would the owls attack?

**Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls.**

"Hedwig is so sweet!" shouted a few of the females.

If ever an owl could be accused of blushing, Hedwig was doing it.

**This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl: **

_**Dear Harry,**_

_**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.  
**_**  
**_**Hagrid **_

**Harry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled **_**Yes, please, see you later**_** on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.**

"Thank you Hagrid!" called Harry while smiling.

"'S no trouble a'tall!" called Hagrid while beaming.

**It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.**

"So young, so naïve!" called Harry with a smirk.

Harry's friends snickered.

**At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong.**

"You were?" questioned the students who had not been in that class, astonished.

**Snape didn't dislike Harry – **

Almost everybody was confused but Harry and his friends merely snorted.

**he hated him.**

"Ah," commented the twins. "And the world makes sense again!"

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.**

The majority of the students shuddered with squeamishness.

**Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.**

**"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity."**

The other professors glared at Snape while McGonagall said in a warning tone "Severus…"

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. **

Draco secretly winced at this but Crabbe and Goyle did not react.

**Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.**

"I was occluding!" called Snape in defense to the other professors' glares.

**"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort.**

**"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – **

"An excellent speech Severus!" said McGonagall with approval.

**if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."**

"And you ruined it." said Professor Flitwick with a frown.

"The students are not 'dunderheads' Severus!" shouted Professor Sprout.

**More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

"Harry!" yelled Hermione with a blush.

"What," Harry said in return. "You _were_ a little eager you know."

**"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"That's a sixth year question!" called one of the older Slytherins with some annoyance**.**

The glares from the professors got harder and were joined with the glares from a good majority of the students including some Slytherins.

**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand had shot into the air.**

Professor Sprout was distracted from her glaring. "You actually knew the answer to that question Ms. Granger?"

"Yes ma'am." muttered Hermione while blushing and looking down at her lap.

**"I don't know sir." said Harry.**

"Of course he didn't!" yelled Professor McGonagall angrily.

Snape winced.

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer.**

**"Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything."**

"Severus," growled McGonagall. "What does fame have to do with potion-making?"

"N-Nothing." said Snape while trying to shrink back into his chair.

Just because he knew he deserved this does not mean that he was not going to try and avoid it if possible. Anybody would be scared of McGonagall when she had that look on her face he justified to himself.

**He ignored Hermione's hand.**

"She obviously knows the answer," called one of the older Gryffindors. "Just call on her!"

There were angry growls of agreement from the students.

**"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"**

"And that's from fourth year," called Ginny with a red face. "We just learned about that!"

Several of the Gryffindors were fingering their wands while glaring at the professor.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.**

"Sorry Potter." called Draco in an apologetic tone.

**"I don't know, sir."**

**"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" **

"Tha's not fair Pr'fessor Snape!" said Hagrid while cracking his knuckles. No one was going to pick on Harry while he was around!

Snape kept himself silent but admitted to himself that he had been asking questions that no first year would know. He couldn't help it! He kept seeing James Potter every time he looked at the boy! He had forgotten that he was part Lily to.

**Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?**

"Apparently!" growled Professor Burbage.

**Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.**

**"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.**

"And that is a third year question!" shouted McGonagall as if in triumph but with a deadly tone of voice.

The students were starting to shout at the professor as accusations and recriminations rang throughout the hall.

Harry and Dumbledore were the only ones that didn't say anything.

**"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her." A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked.**

**Snape, however, was not pleased.**

"Of course he wasn't," yelled the twins. "You made him look like a fool in front of his class!"

No one was going to pick on their little brother and partner while they were still alive. They hadn't known it was this bad! Why didn't Harry tell someone?

**"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"**

"Maybe because you didn't tell them to?" came the sarcastic answer from one of the Ravenclaws.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."**

"I will admit Mr. Potter," said McGonagall grudgingly. "You did deserve that point taken off for cheekiness."

Harry merely nodded his head.

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. **

Both Draco and Severus winced as a good number of people glared at them for this favoritism.

**He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, **

"As usual!" called Neville in a shaky voice while trying to lighten the tension in the great hall.

There were a few snorts of laughter.

**and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.**

"You poor thing!" mumbled Professor Sprout.

Neville blushed and shrugged. He was used to it by now.

**"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, **

"Severus," shouted Madame Pomfrey. "You do not yell at a student who as injured himself like that!"

**clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.**

**"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.**

"Why?" snarled McGonagall with a dark look towards Snape.

**"You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you. That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."**

"But they weren't even partners," protested Professor Flitwick with anger. "They wouldn't have been watching Mr. Longbottom and what he was doing!"

At this point, Snape decided that he was never going to make it out of the hall alive and began to wonder if he had updated his will recently.

**This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.**

**"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."**

"Thanks for that Mate!" said Harry in a quiet voice over the shouting going on.

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week - why did Snape hate him so much?**

"Because it seems that Professor Snape can't get over childhood grudges!" McGonagall ground out.

Snape started to protest and then realized that, from Harry and everybody else' point of view, that was correct. Maybe he needed to take a long hard look at himself and what he had been doing for the past few years.

Professor Dumbledore broke in for the first time, the twinkle absent from his eyes. "I believe that we will need to have a chat Severus." he said in a firm and disappointed voice.

Snape paled even more than thought possible at what was to come.

Umbridge didn't see what the problem was. The brats needed to be taught who was in charge and if it took being nasty to a few students, especially Potter, than more power to Professor Snape.

**"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?" At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

**When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang - back." Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.**

"Hagrid!" called several of the CoMC students in excitement.

**"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang." He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.**

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling; a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.**

**"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

"It's the animals with sweet and/or normal names that you have to look out for!" called Harry with a laugh.

**"This is Ron." Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.**

The teachers and students who had experienced Hagrid's attempt at cooking, winced.

**"Another Weasley, eh." said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles.**

"I wonder why he looked at my freckles and not my red hair?" wondered Ron in confusion.

"No idea mate." Harry said with a snort.

**I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest." **

The twins stood up to laughter from the great hall.

**The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first -lessons. **

"You didn' like me cakes Harry?" asked Hagrid with a hurt frown.

"It's not like that Hagrid," Harry quickly reassured him. "I just think that you have been making food based on recipes that only you or another half-giant or giant could eat. Unfortunately that translates into people like me and Ron not being able to eat them. If you want, I'll take you down to the kitchens at some point and show you how to make food for people like us. Okay?" Harry hadn't wanted Hagrid to feel bad about Ron and him not being able to eat his food.

"I 'ave been usin' me mum's recipes but I didn' realize there was a diff'rence," he mumbled to himself. "Okay Harry. I'll take ye up on tha' offer!"

Students and professors alike sent Harry thankful glances at him offering to teach Hagrid to cook without offending him.

Umbridge curled her lips in disdain while Fudge looked disgusted.

**Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes.**

"Ew, gross!" shouted the females around the hall.

**Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Fitch "that old git."**

All of the students who had run into Filch at one point or another, cheered Hagrid.

**"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. **

"Hagrid," said Harry in a voice full of mirth. "I am pretty sure that Mrs. Norris will destroy Fang."

**D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere. Can't get rid of her - Fitch puts her up to it." Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

"That's true!" grumbled most of the school.

**"But he seemed to really hate me."**

"He did hate me," said Harry quietly under his breath. "But I think that has already started to change."

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?" Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.**

"You are the worst liar Hagrid!" called Harry with fondness.

**"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot - great with animals." Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose.**

"Well that was obvious!" yelled a Slytherin with a smirk.

**While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet: **

_**GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST**_

_**Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.**_

_**"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.**_

**Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.**

"Why is the date so important?" asked one Hufflepuff confusedly.

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"**

"Whoa!" called several students.

"Talk about a coincidence!" added Blaise Zabini.

**There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

The students all had thoughtful looks on their faces while the trio nodded their heads without anybody noticing.

**As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid.**

Mr. Potter!" called Professor McGonagall in exasperation.

"What," said Harry with fake innocence. "I was curious!"

**Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?**

"Yes, Hogwarts, and yes." Ron said under his breath.

"Harry," asked Hermione. "Have you ever thought about being tested for animagus powers?"

"Not any time soon," said Harry in confusion. "Why?"

"You know that muggle saying," began Hermione with a grin. "It goes 'curiosity killed the cat.' I was thinking that with all of the curiosity that you have about secrets, you might be some form of cat animagus."

The laughter rang out as Harry blushed.

"And that is the end of the chapter!" called Tonks.

"I'd like to read next if nobody minds?" said Blaise Zabini in a hopeful tone.

"Works for me!" chirped Tonks and floated the book over to him.

He took it and opened it to the next chapter. "**THE MIDNIGHT DUEL." **he read.

"Ooh!" said the students excitedly.

The professors looked nervous. They hadn't heard of any dueling taking place that year. What was going on?

**A/N 2: **I'm thinking of making the conversation between Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and the rest of the professors the next chapter but haven't decided yet. I guess it will be a surprise!


	11. Severus, It's Time We Had The Talk

**A/N: **I finally decided to go ahead and post the conversation with Professor Snape. I know that some people dislike having the chapters interrupted this way but I hate when the other stories I have read talk about how they will get to the repercussions later and then you never find out what happened.

I apologize for it taking so long for me to write this chapter. I kept writing Harry as a little too sympathetic towards Snape and that was not what I wanted to happen. Therefore, I had to keep writing it over and over again until I finally had this.

I have thought about the way I have been portraying Harry as maybe a little too intelligent and not enough anger from his scar being that it _is_ his fifth year. The way I see it is this: Harry is an extremely intelligent boy or else the Sorting Hat wouldn't have considered him for Ravenclaw. The problem is that he was discouraged from learning while at the Dursleys and when he got to Hogwarts he often had other things to concentrate on besides his studies. He _has_ been thinking about these things since he got to Hogwarts, he just never had a reason to share them with anybody before these books. Now that he has a good reason, the ideas are just spilling out.

As for the scar, I don't think that it is late enough in the year for the scar to be completely affecting him like it does at the end of OotP. He does get occasional surges of anger but right now he is confusing it with all the other emotions that he is experiencing while reading these books. Please let me know what you think and if what I just said made sense.

Woo-hoo! 21,000 hits and counting! I greatly appreciate all of the reviews that have been left for me. I love reading them and seeing what peoples' reactions are to what I have posted. Please don't hesitate to leave another one!

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is entirely too original for him to have come from my mind!

**Severus, It's Time We Had "The Talk"**

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the premier school for all British-born magical citizens. It taught all of the essential magical subjects needed for a witch or wizard to survive in the magical world and was normally a very busy but somewhat quiet place on Friday afternoon.

Today, however, was decidedly not normal. Anyone arriving to at the school would find the hallways and classrooms deserted as they made their way around looking for someone to talk to. But as you approached the great hall, a dull roar became audible. It seems that everybody in the school was still gathered in the great hall despite the fact that lunch should have been over a little while ago.

The students and staff alike were shouting over one another in their endeavor to be heard by their neighbor. They had just finished reading the first eight chapters of a book called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."

The book was an attempt by the current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Madame Delores Jane Umbridge to discredit the Headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore and one of his students named Harry Potter.

It seemed that she had tasked four people from the Ministry's Department of Mysteries, known as Unspeakables, to investigate Harry Potter's life while at Hogwarts to prove that the boy was a liar and that his claims of You-Know-Who being back were ridiculous and merely the boy wanting more attention. She had asked the Unspeakables doing the investigating to present the results in something that she could read out to everybody and they had decided on a book form. Both the Unspeakables and Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge had sworn that they were true even though Umbridge and Fudge had not taken the time to read the books before presenting them to their audience and therefore were completely ignorant of what they contained.

While Umbridge and Fudge stewed over the lack of anything they could use against Harry Potter so far and were furiously discussing when the lies were going to start, the rest of the hall was in an uproar. Auror Tonks had just finished with the last chapter entitled "The Potions Master" and it had sent everyone into fits of anger and shouting over the teaching methods exhibited by one Professor Severus Snape.

Blaise Zabini had already been chosen to read the next chapter but no one had allowed him to start yet. The students were yelling at the staff table in the direction of Professor Snape while the professors themselves were yelling at Headmaster Dumbledore in their attempts to get him to punish the Head of Slytherin House.

Coincidentally, the only people who weren't shouting, and in fact were very quiet, were the people most involved in the situation. Professor Snape was as far back in his chair as he could get without falling out of it. He was as pale as could be and was trying to keep any expression off of his face. Harry Potter, sitting at the Gryffindor table and listening to his friends and housemates berate the professor, merely stared calmly at the staff table as though waiting for something to happen.

But it was Professor Dumbledore's reaction that was the most troublesome. He was stroking his beard with a calculating look on his face and absolutely no twinkle in his normally bright blue eyes. He finally seemed to have come to a decision and stood up and raised his hands for silence.

"It seems that we all need a break from reading for a little bit. Why don't you students and guests take a while to go to the loo or take a walk around to talk about what we have learned so far? I will ring the class bell when it is time to come back in for the next chapter."

Dumbledore sent Harry a piercing look that asked him to stay here for the time being. Harry nodded his head and told his friends that he would catch up with them later. Ron and Hermione exchanged concerned glances but Harry assured them that he would be fine.

The rest of the students made their way out of the great hall, full of chatter as they discussed Professor Snape and what he had done. The guests, including Madame Umbridge and Fudge, strode off to talk about this investigation by the Unspeakables. Madame Bones was wondering if she would get some answers to a few of the questions she had about remarks made by her niece over the years.

As the last of the students made their way out of the hall, Harry joined the rest of the professors at the staff table.

Professor Dumbledore turned to Snape and said, "Severus, I believe it is time we had 'The Talk.'"

Professor Snape paled to the color of fresh snow and gaped at Dumbledore.

Harry couldn't help it. He burst into fits of laughter.

McGonagall and the rest of the professors' lips started to twitch. They wondered if Dumbledore realized what he said and the connotations that went along with that particular sentence.

The Headmaster looked confused at Harry laughing over such a serious matter. "Mr. Potter, is there some reason why you find that funny?"

Harry tried to reign in his laughter but couldn't quite manage it. "I… I'm sorry Pr… Professor Dumbledore! It's just that… that you sound like you are about to give Professor Snape the talk about… about s… sex and all of the things that go… go with it!" and he once again burst into giggles.

The other professors couldn't hold it in anymore and the snickers were let loose. They realized that this was a serious matter that needed to be discussed but the mental image of Dumbledore sitting down with Snape and trying to discuss sex with him was just too hilarious not to laugh at.

Professor Dumbledore blanched before a faint twinkle came back into his eyes. "Ah, yes," he said. "After this conversation is over I will have to ask Professor Snape if that 'Talk' is needed or not."

Professor Snape, if possible paled even further at the thought of that conversation.

"Let us move to the antechamber so that we are not interrupted." said Dumbledore with a look around the great hall.

Everybody moved into the chamber and sat themselves down into chairs conjured up by Dumbledore. After a few minutes of settling themselves they all turned towards the Headmaster and the potions professor.

"Now," said Dumbledore with a pointed look towards the other professors. "I would like to ask you, Severus, why did you act like that towards Harry in his first lesson?"

"I… I." stuttered the professor.

"Yes?" asked Dumbledore.

"I couldn't get over the fact that he looked like James Potter and so treated him like he was James." said Snape with a little shame in his voice.

McGonagall's lips tightened into a thin white line while the rest of the professors started to grumble under their breaths.

Harry, in the meantime, was finally starting to show the anger he had been holding in. "Okay, so I look like my dad. I hear it all the time but what does that have to do with anything?"

Professor Snape merely looked away while McGonagall tried to explain. "Your father and his friends were part of a group known as the Marauders when they were here in school…"

Harry interrupted. "I know that. Sirius explained all about the Marauders and the pranks they pulled. Still, what does that have to do with anything?"

"If you will let me finish Mr. Potter!" said McGonagall with a stern look.

"Sorry Professor!" mumbled Harry.

"Continuing on," she said. "The Marauders were a group that liked to prank people. They concentrated on the children of Slytherin using the reasoning that since they were going to graduate and become death eaters once they were out of school, this was the most _they_ could do while in school during a war. It also didn't help that Sirius Black was extremely prejudiced against them being that he was from the Black family and they found it abhorrent that he had been put into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin where he should have gone according to his family. "

"Okay," said Harry with a confused look. "I can understand their reasoning. I may not like it but I understand it. So, did they prank you Professor Snape?"

"You could say that," barked Snape with harsh laughter. "I was their number one target! For the rest of the Slytherins, the Marauders used pranks that would affect them all at the same time but for me, your father and his friends used a personal touch. Every week it was something new! Granted, I retaliated for a few of them but it was one person against four and I just couldn't keep up. It didn't help that, for the first four years or so, I was your mother Lily's best friend."

"You were my mum's best friend?" Harry asked, startled.

"Yes Mr. Potter, I was," said Snape said in a wistful tone of voice. "Until I went and ruined it in my anger and stupidity. Your father had proclaimed to want to date Lily ever since he met her in first year. She avoided him for those first four years, disgusted with the way he acted and the pranks he pulled."

Harry was looking confused. His mum hadn't liked his dad?

Snape kept on. It seemed that he had wanted to tell someone this for a while. "But fifth year rolled around and it seemed that she was beginning to lighten up in regards to your father. I was so angry! Here she was, _my_ best friend, and she was starting to hang out with my sworn enemies! It would be like your Ms. Granger deciding to start hang out with Mr. Malfoy. Finally, I couldn't stop my anger from overflowing. Your godfather had just pulled an extremely deadly "prank" that should have gotten him expelled if not for extenuating circumstances. That was when James Potter saved my life."

Harry paled. Sirius had done something that could have killed the professor? As a prank? Harry didn't know what to think.

"I couldn't take it anymore. I confronted Lily and told her that she had to choose between me and the Marauders. She tried to convince me that, while they _were_ bullies, that didn't necessarily make them bad people. All I could hear was her taking their side just like I thought Dumbledore had done for the prank that Sirius had pulled that nearly got me killed. I let my mouth run away with me. I called her a M… Mu… Mudblood."

"You called her a what?" shouted Harry in anger.

Snape flushed with shame and anger at himself. "You heard me Potter!" he snapped.

Harry was opening his mouth to start yelling at Snape when Dumbledore intervened. "Mr. Potter," he said. "Please let Professor Snape continue."

Harry shut his mouth and sat back in his chair to glare at Snape.

"Lily always had a temper and that set it off. From then on she wouldn't speak to me, wouldn't even deign to look at me. As far as she was concerned, I had just thrown away years of friendship over a petty rival with some classmates. After I recovered from my anger and calmed down, I realized what I had done and tried to apologize but she wouldn't hear of it. She told me that until I could get over my fighting with the Marauders, she wouldn't accept my apology. By that time, she was dating James Potter, who had convinced his friends to stop playing pranks on me personally because of her influence. They stuck to generalized pranks that didn't target one individual but groups of people."

"I ended up blaming James for my one and only friend leaving me. I realize now that it was just teenage tears and hormones but at the time, I thought he was the cause of all of the bad things that had gone wrong with my seven years at Hogwarts."

"I joined the death eaters as a result, thinking that they would earn me some of the power and respect missing from my life. I didn't go on any of the raids because they always had me making potions, which is what I was good at. I finally came to my sense when I overheard something that I wasn't meant to and gave that information to the Dark Lord."

It was here that Snape sent a questioning glance at Dumbledore, wondering if he should tell him of the prophecy at this time or not.

Dumbledore should his head negatively. He wanted to be the one who told Harry of the prophecy once the book was finished. He remembered Harry asking, while in the hospital wing, about why Voldemort had come after his family in the first place and figured that he would take Harry aside once the book was finished and finally answer his questions.

"It was then that the Dark Lord started making plans to go after your family. I realized that I was going to get Lily and her son killed all because of my stupidity and jealousy. I went to Dumbledore immediately and told him everything. I offered to spy on the Dark Lord and his followers and he made plans to hide you under the Fidelius charm to keep your family safe."

It was here that Snape started to look both angry and sorrowful. Harry didn't know what to think at this point but decided to let Snape finish his explanation before he said anything.

"When I got word that Lily was dead and you had stopped the Dark Lord, I was so angry. All I could remember thinking was that James was supposed to protect you and Lily and he had failed. In addition to that, you were now famous. I figured that you would be sent to a wizarding home and grow up under that platitudes of fame that came with being the Boy-Who-Lived which would make you egotistical like your father. He loved any sort of attention and basked in the praises that were sent his way."

"I heard from Draco after the sorting fest about how you had rejected his hand in friendship. I know now why you did it but all I could think at the time was that you were biased against Slytherins just like your father. I decided from the beginning that I wouldn't give you the chance to make a fool out of any of my Slytherins like your father and his friends had made a fool of me."

"Your ability for getting into trouble just reinforced my decision. You always seemed to be breaking the rules and receiving little to no punishment for it. There was also your rivalry with my godson Draco. It looked like mine and your father's fights all over again and I hated that. I knew that I was going to be the only one that would not cater to your ego. And so, I proceeded to ridicule you and try to do everything in my power to deflate the ego that I was sure you had developed."

The rest of the staff looked like they were about to say something when they heard this statement but a look from Dumbledore shut them up.

Harry's anger at the comment about his mother was still simmering and what had just heard didn't calm it down one bit.

"I realize now that it was wrong but I was so sure that you would be just like James that I did not consider anything else." Snape finally finished his explanation with a long sigh. There, he had gotten it all out. At least they had let him have his say before they started to lambast him.

"Very well Professor," Harry said in a hard voice before anyone else could start talking. "Now it's my turn. Do you know what your attitude has done to the school in general over the past few years? Do you know why three-quarters of the school hate Slytherins so much? Why no one wants to even try to take a chance and befriend one?"

Snape looked confused and angry at the same time while the other professors had a questioning look on their faces.

Harry glared at Snape. "Let's start with the school in general. Everyone except the Slytherins hates your class. And it is not because of the actual potions themselves. It is because of the professor teaching it. You are constantly taking points and belittling the other students instead of actually helping them correct their mistakes and teaching them what they did wrong."

"While I understand that, as a spy, you must keep up appearances but the problem is that your attitude is a big part of why the students hate Slytherins. Granted there are a few Slytherins that stand out such as Malfoy but the good majority of them are quiet and don't bother the other students much. I bet over half of this school couldn't tell you more than a few names of the students in the House of Snakes but would you like to bet on what the first if not only name that is going to be mentioned every time is? That's right. The greasy, slimy, overgrown bat of the dungeons, Professor Snape"

"Mr. Potter," called McGonagall in anger. "There is no need to resort to name calling!"

"I apologize Professor McGonagall and to you to Professor Snape." Harry said while nodding his head at both of them.

"However, I think Professor Snape got the point I was trying to make. The students see you as a representative of Slytherin House. For most of the students, you are the first person they meet from that house and your impression stays with them. Because of the way you act most students' figure that the students in your house will act the same and so don't bother to even try and get to know them. When they see you favoring them so much and compare it to how the other heads act, they get angry and disgusted. That just reinforces their decision about Slytherin house being the house of gits."

Professor Snape tried not to look as shocked as he felt. Was he really the cause of so much trouble for the students in his house? He hadn't thought of it that way before. He just assumed that the students from other houses arrived at Hogwarts already biased against the Slytherins and so followed the policy of 'Hurt them before they hurt you'.

"Now I realize that a lot of the students are children of death eaters and the other students know this. But, what you must consider is that most of the students are young and don't remember the death eaters and what they did during the last war. They are really only aware of this information peripherally and so it does not affect their everyday lives at school until you , Malfoy, or one of the other obvious Slytherins act like gits and bring that knowledge to the front of their minds and reinforce it. It is then that they start believing that Slytherins are the house of 'evil' and no one can prove to them otherwise."

"As a last point," said Harry in a much calmer tone although the anger was still there. "You need to think about what has happened to you over the years. You just told me that you hated my father and his friends because they were bullies to you. What you don't seem to realize is that you yourself have become the very thing you hate. But instead of focusing on just one student like my father and Sirius did, you are perceived as a bully by any student not in Slytherin house. I mean, are you really not concerned that even after everything Neville Longbottom went through with his parents, you are still the form his boggart takes?"

Snape couldn't speak. His world view had just been shaken beyond recognition. This couldn't be true, could it? He was not a bully, was he? His teaching methods were not the cause for students to actually fear him, were they? He was not one of the main reasons for his Slytherins to be reviled, was he?

As Snape asked himself these questions and tried to answer them, the other professors were considering what Harry had said. Professor Dumbledore decided to sit back and see what would happen with this conversation. Harry was doing an excellent job in telling Professor Snape what was wrong without resorting to mere angry accusations.

Harry took a deep breath. He was still pretty angry and trying to keep his tone even and not start shouting was requiring a lot of self-control. He couldn't believe that all of his trouble with Snape had stated over a simple childhood grudge. While he did understand why Snape had hated his father and the Marauders (which he would most definitely be speaking to Sirius and Remus about!), he couldn't understand why an adult of Snape's age hadn't learned by now that teenagers were emotional and retarded people and anything done during by them during their teenage years should be taken with a grain of salt.

"Look Professor," Harry sighed wearily. "You need to take a look around and see what you have caused. No, you are not the sole reason that the students hate the House of Snakes, but you are definitely helping to perpetuate the illusion that Slytherins are not to be trusted. As a spy, you do have to keep up certain appearance but maybe if you tell Voldemort that one to many parents have complained to the Headmaster about your teaching method and he threatened to fire you hence you need to change them if you plan on staying anywhere near Dumbledore in order to 'spy' on him."

Snape was contemplating what Potter had just said. _'It just might work!'_ he thought to himself. _'Maybe if I tweak it a little bit, Voldemort would buy it.'_

Harry continued on with his ideas. "You also need to talk to your Snakes and let them know what is going on. Tell the neutral or 'Light' Slytherins to try and approach some of the quieter students and try and befriend them. I would start with the 'Claws or 'Puffs. Their relationship with the snake house isn't nearly as volatile as the Gryffindors."

"This will set an example to the rest of the students that not all of the Slytherins are bad and maybe they will follow their example. I am already trying with Draco but that could take a while and he needs a few things shoved down his throat before he will believe anything that does not come out of his father's mouth. I have already got him started on a research project without telling his father, so hopefully that will help get him on the right path."

"You might try setting up debates between the purebloods, halfbloods, and muggleborns about the wizarding and muggle worlds in general. I would make sure that you don't include anybody that will cause problems at the slightest hints of prejudice though. You want people who will listen calmly and try and argue their point without hexing and cursing when things don't go their way."

Harry turned towards the rest of the staff who had been trying to keep up with all that Harry was saying.

"Professors. Like said before in the great hall, you should try and organize some study groups or clubs for the students from different houses. Just having Quidditch as the only extracurricular activity leaves a lot of room for improvement. The students will be able to get to know the other students from the different houses while participating in something they like to do and might start to form their own opinion instead of relying on rumor and stereotypes."

Harry finished with a great sigh and sat back in relief. He had managed to get everything out without yelling even once. Granted, he was still very angry with Snape over his attitude and the way he had treated Harry over the years, but he hoped that Snape would take what he said to heart and try and improve things. If Harry saw him attempting to correct his mistakes then maybe his anger would start to cool down a little bit. It would definitely take a long time though. Snape was an adult and should have known better than to take his anger at his dead father out on his son, no matter how he was raised.

The professors sat in silence as they thought about what Harry had suggested. The ideas had some merit to them. They would have to ask a few of the students and see if anybody would be interested.

Professor Snape could see a few of his Slytherins would enjoy getting the chance to ask the muggleborns some questions without alienating the rest of their house. They would also like the chance to make friends outside of their house where they were currently constrained by the Snake's reputation around school. And maybe a few of the students would be interested in a "creative" potions club?

Professor Flitwick was especially interested in the debating idea. He loved a good debate and his 'Claws would love the research that would go into having evidence to back up their side of whatever argument was currently being discussed. Ooh, and a dueling club! The students would love that!

Professors Sprout and McGonagall liked the idea of the study groups and clubs. They could offer additional "classes" like animagus training and helping take care of some of the more exotic plants in the greenhouses for those interested in furthering their skills in Transfiguration and Herbology.

Professor Dumbledore's twinkle seemed to finally have recovered its usual brightness. He thought Harry had some excellent ideas as to what the staff could do to promote house unity within the school. He also liked the idea for Snape to tell Voldemort that he was threatening to fire him if he didn't change his ways. Voldemort would surely buy that and allow it so that he didn't lose his "spy" at Hogwarts who brought him most of his information on what was going on with Dumbledore while at school.

"I think that this has been a most excellent conversation my boys," said Dumbledore in a cheery voice. "However, I think that it is time to get back to reading while we all think about what was said and the ideas that were presented to us just a little bit ago. Professors, Harry, if you wouldn't mind thinking of a few students that would enjoy participating in something like those debates and clubs you talked about, we will discuss this again after we finish this first book."

Harry and the rest of the staff nodded their heads. Harry was already thinking of what the first debate could be about and who he knew would like to get involved in something like that.

Dumbledore stood up and motioned the rest of the people there to do the same. He vanished the conjured chairs and started for the door to the great hall.

"I am ringing the bell to call everyone back to the hall so that we may continue to read. Harry, if you have any more of those most excellent ideas, please do not hesitate to mention them either while we are reading or later on after we are done. You seem to have a knack for finding ways to resolve problems that have been plaguing me for a long time now."

Harry blushed and mumbled under his breath.

The opened the door to the great hall and found it almost full. It seemed that everybody had returned early so that they would not miss even one moment of the next chapter. It was way to interesting to hear about Harry Potter's life at Hogwarts and they wanted to hear more!

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table and quietly told his friends that he would tell them about it later after they sent him worried and questioning looks.

"Mr. Zabini," called Dumbledore. "If you would proceed with the next chapter please."

"Very well Headmaster," said Blaise who found the page he was supposed to start on. **"The Midnight Duel."**


	12. The Midnight Duel

**A/N: **I apologize for the long wait for this chapter however, it is Fourth of July week and I work at Disney World. In other words, it has been absolutely crazy. It will probably be about a week for the next chapter to.

I have had several people ask me about Harry and the effects of his scar during fifth year and why am I not portraying him as more angry than he is? Here are my reasons:

1) It's my story and being that it is not cannon, I can do what I want to the people involved. Enough said. However, for those that do not think this is a good enough reason, please continue on to the next one.

2) With all of the emotions running through Harry during this reading, only a small bit of anger from Voldemort is actually managing to get through his scar. All the rest is being overwhelmed by what he is feeling at the time.

3) In cannon the only reason Harry noticed what was going on with his scar was the small prickling feeling and the fact that his temper was abnormally explosive. Once again, he will not be noticing it right now due to what is going on at the time. He probably noticed a few twinges before they started reading but not enough to make it obvious.

4) Harry is currently controlling what little anger he has so that he will not blow up in front of the school. Let's face it, he has already gone through all of the emotions when he actually lived through what the book is saying and has had time to calm down a little and think about it.

5) Harry is too occupied with trying to notice the details he missed as they read the books to really focus on any anger that might actually be affecting him. He is hoping to use these books to prove a few points and maybe make some changes and so will be focused on thinking his way through instead of just reacting like he usually does.

Once again, thank you for those who left me a review! I would especially like to thank those people who leave me the very long reviews that try and touch on everything in that chapter. I love those kinds of comments and look forward to getting them every time!

**Disclaimer:** Ah! What I wouldn't give to have complete control over Harry Potter and company! The changes I would make!

**CHAPTER NINE - THE MIDNIGHT DUEL.**

The trio and Neville flinched in dismay. It was time for the trouble to start.

"Ooh!" said the students excitedly.

The professors looked nervous. They hadn't heard of any dueling taking place that year. 

**Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.**

"Gee," snarked Draco. "Thanks Potter! I appreciate you calling me worse than that fat whale you live with who made your life completely miserable for ten years."

Harry thought that he could hear an underlying tone of hurt in Draco's voice and so decided to try and explain.

"Draco," he started. "I was eleven years old and in a new and magical place that I had never imagined. I expected everything to be wonderful and perfect compared to the Dursleys and when it wasn't… Anyway, I was wrong. You, at least, expected me to fight back but I hadn't really learned how yet. And you didn't just focus on me like Dudley did, you also made fun of Ron and my family which made me really angry and seemed worse than what the Dursleys had done. They kept me from having friends and knew not to mention my parents for fear of me asking questions about them and so didn't have them to pick on."

Draco shrugged his shoulders but Harry thought he could see a slight lessening of the tension in his face.

**Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. **

"I still don't understand why you would put the two most volatile houses together in the most dangerous class Professor!" called Hermione in an exasperated tone.

"I was hoping that they would start getting to know each other if they were forced to work together Ms. Granger," explained Dumbledore in a sorrowful tone. "It just never seems to help though."

"That's because you would need a completely neutral teacher who wouldn't hesitate to encourage partnership between the two while not hesitating to punish any transgressions." said Hermione.

Snape tried to look offended but knew that it wouldn't work due to the fact that he was completely biased towards his Slytherins

**Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan.**

"What is it now?" groaned Ginny.

**Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday –**

"But that's a good thing!" said Ginny, confused.

"Wait for it." muttered Harry under his breath.

**and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

"Ah," said Ginny, enlightened. "That explains it."

**"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy." **

"Oh Potter," gushed Draco with a grin. "I didn't realize I was such an important person in your life!"

A few snickers were heard at this while Harry blushed beet red.

**He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

"Of course Mr. Potter," called Madame Hooch. "Almost everybody looks forward to learning how to fly!"

There were nods from the majority of the students in the hall although a few people like Hermione and Neville merely winced.

**"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

"Actually," mused Harry as if unaware of what he was saying out loud. "Draco has turned into a very good seeker."

Ron looked like Harry had just told him he was planning on joining Voldemort.

Draco didn't have anything to say to this but you could see a faint twinge of pink and a pleased look on his face.

Snape managed to hide his shock but couldn't help feeling a little pleased with Potter's unintentional compliment.

**Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. **

"Malfoy," asked Hermione, amused in spite of herself. "Do you even know what a helicopter is?"

"They are muggle flying contraptions" stated Draco as if proud of himself for actually knowing the answer.

"Very good Malfoy," Hermione sounded pleased. "The only problem is that a person riding a broom wouldn't be able to get within a few hundred feet of one of them without being buffeted by the winds they create while flying."

Draco looked embarrassed while simultaneously looking thoughtful.

**He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick. **

"Hey," shouted Seamus in affront. "That was completely true… Kinda."

People all over the hall snickered through their blushing. They remembered telling their friends stories exactly like Seamus'.

**Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.**

Ron blushed as the rest of the Weasleys burst into laughter. Even Percy's lips twitched at this. As if their mum would allow Ron to fly high enough to be even remotely dangerous.

**Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly.**

"Because Quidditch is the best thing in the world!" yelled several of the game's fanatics.

**Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. **

"What is soccer?" questioned a few of the more curious purebloods.

Hermione opened her mouth to explain but was interrupted by Dean Thomas.

"I'll take this one Hermione," called Dean in excitement. "Soccer is the most popular sport in the English muggle world. It's also the most popular sport on the international level as well excluding the United States of America. There are eleven people on the field from each team playing in four positions: Goalkeeper, Midfielder, Defender and Striker."

"The object of the game is to get the soccer ball in to the other team's goal net. The thing that is hard about soccer is that you are not allowed to use your hands at all. You are only allowed to use your feet to kick the ball around or your head, chest, and shoulders to knock it back. Players are sprinting up and down the field trying to get control of the ball and knock it into the goal net. The game only goes for ninety minutes and then it is done no matter what the score is."

"The players make a ton of money. I think the current highest paid player is David Beckham who earns the equivalent of… Hold on a second."

Dean turned to Hermione and they started to whisper to each other for a minute.

"At the current exchange rate," Dean continued on. "He would earn just shy of five million galleons a year and that does not count the money he earns for advertisements and things. The muggles are willing to pay to get the best players on their teams and it shows. Soccer is a world-wide muggle phenomenon."

Dean finished to amazed gasps from the students that had no idea of the muggle world. The sport sounded interesting but the amount that players made! They couldn't imagine earning that much money in a year even as a Professional Quidditch player!

"Do the muggles have other sports or is it just soccer?" asked Blaise Zabini.

"Merlin no," exclaimed Dean. "The muggles have almost five hundred different sports right now that are recognized. And that is not even counting the ones that evolve from the currently recognized ones."

The Purebloods looked shocked. So many! The wizarding world only had a few and most didn't even know about any other than Quidditch. Maybe they should look into these sports and see if they could transfer them to the magical world.

**Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. **

Dean huffed and looked away from Ron's apologetic face.

**Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.**

Harry and several others snickered into their hands.

"What," said Ron with a blush. "I wasn't used to the idea of pictures not moving and thought the poster was defective!"

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one.**

"She said it would be too dangerous for me." mumbled Neville in explanation.

**Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione and Ginny.

"I am so sorry Neville." Harry said with a wince. It's not like he ever said it out loud!

"It's okay Harry," said Neville with a small smile. "I know you would never say something like that. And besides, I am clumsy and accident prone."

"You aren't in the D.A. mate. And you're getting better all around. You just needed time to catch up to your body that's all." said Harry in a firm tone of voice.

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was.**

"I was used to flying in airplanes," Hermione explained. "They are made of steel and you are enclosed in the cabin the entire time. I am not however, comfortable with the thought of flying at high speeds with just a branch of wood between my legs to keep me from falling. I was terrified!"

A lot of the other muggleborns nodded their heads in agreement. They remembered how nervous they had been when told they would be flying on a broomstick.

**This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book - not that she hadn't tried. **

"Of course you tried to learn how to fly from a book!" called a Slytherin with laughter.

"What," said Hermione with a defensive look. "I was hoping it could give me some tips to not make the first time so scary!"

**At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. **

"But… but," stuttered Hermione. "You guys love that book!"

Harry and Ron exchanged glances before Ron nodded at Harry.

"Hermione," began Harry in a consoling voice. "It's not the book that was the problem. Back then you would get this lecture voice going and sound like one of the professors. People wouldn't pay attention to what you were saying because of how you were saying it."

Hermione looked hurt at this confession from her best friends.

"Hermione," said Harry in a quiet voice. "Even you have to admit that when you first got to Hogwarts, you had no idea on how to talk to kids your own age. You would spout out all the information you knew in the hopes of impressing someone. The problem was that even though you didn't mean to, you were turning people away with your know-it-all tone. Thankfully, once all three of us became friends you calmed down and started to realize what you were doing and corrected yourself."

Hermione looked slightly mollified although she was still kind of hurt but she realized that they hadn't been friends at that time so it didn't matter as much.

**Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.**

The rest of Hermione's year-mates blushed a little in shame as Hermione winced at her past attitude.

**Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note,**

Everybody growled at this. Just because they had moved onto Hogwarts now in the books does not mean that they had forgotten the Dursleys and how much they needed to be cursed.

**something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. **

"Of course he noticed!" grumbled Ron under his breath.

**Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

There were a few mutterings as Draco blushed a little in shame.

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

"Ooh," exclaimed one first year Hufflepuff. "What is it?"

**"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, "You've forgotten something..." Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten**

"Turns out that I had forgotten the common room password." said Neville with a wince of remembered horror.

"Those things are completely useless," said Harry while rolling his eyes. "They need to find a way to make the Remembrall show what you are forgetting not just that you have forgotten something."

Professor Flitwick looked very interested in this idea. Could he find a way to improve the Remembrall by attaching some form of legilimency to it so that it would picture just what you had forgotten? That would be an interesting project for his NEWT students.

**when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.**

Draco squirmed uncomfortably at the glares he received from the other students.

**Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy,**

"For Merlin's sake Potter," called Professor Snape in exasperation. "What is it with you and wanting to fight?"

Harry just blushed and shrugged in reply.

**but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

"After dealing with the Marauders Mr. Potter, I can definitely spot trouble brewing from a mile away!" called Professor McGonagall with a stern look.

Harry looked like he didn't know whether to blush in shame or laugh at the trouble his father and his friends got in to.

The twins had no such compunction and burst into snickers.

**"What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor." Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**

**"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

"What?" yelled Draco in response to all the raised eyebrows sent in his direction.

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson.**

All of the students who enjoyed flying, cheered at this.

**It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

"Perfect Quidditch conditions!" called the twins in envy.

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

"They do!" said the twins with frowns.

"Albus," said Professor McGonagall with a worried look. "We really need to look into getting better brooms for the students to learn on. What happens if a student has an accident on one of those brooms and is put off flying forever?"

"I will try Minerva," said Dumbledore with a sigh. "But you know how the Board of Governors is about spending money on something 'frivolous' like brooms."

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

"Thank you for that description Mr. Potter!" called Madame Hooch.

"You know," muttered one student after they had all turned to look at her. "She does kind of look like a hawk."

There were murmurs of agreement while Madame Hooch looked pleased.

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

"This could go badly." said one Hufflepuff seventh year to another.

"It does sound like he got one of the worse brooms." agreed her friend with worry in her voice.

**"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!"**

"I don't understand the point of making us do that." stated one of the muggleborns in confusion.

"For most people," explained Madame Hooch with a smile. "It allows a student's magic to interact with a broom for the first time to see if it will agree with it. Some people, although not many, will have adverse reactions, and so we know from the beginning before any flying is done, not to allow that student to continue."

"I didn't know that!" called several students in amazement.

**"Up!" everyone shouted.**

**Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once, but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.**

"I have never thought of it that way Mr. Potter," said Madame Hooch in a thoughtful voice. "Perhaps I should have some of the broom companies' research departments take a look at that and see if it is true."

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips.**

**Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

Draco had a pink tinge while a few other students snickered.

"While Mr. Malfoy's grip was incorrect based off of the standard that does not necessarily make it wrong in general," Madame Hooch scolded. "The grip he was using may have been more comfortable for him and make the broom easier to handle."

Draco sat up straight while the students who had laughed now blushed.

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -" But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

"I was so nervous that I accidently pushed way to hard." said Neville with a shrug.

Students shot him commiserating glances. They remembered being nervous to, but just not that nervous.

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle - twelve feet - twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom and - WHAM - a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay face down on the grass in a heap.**

"Poor Neville." cooed some of the females in sympathy and worry.

**His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.**

"Well, that one's gone!" called the twins.

"I wonder if it went wild like my dad's car did?" questioned Ron under his breath.

"Maybe," said Harry. "But your dad's car had a lot more enchantments on it than what a broom has and that could make a difference."

**Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

"I thought he might have broken his neck!" called Madame Hooch with a frown.

**"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy - it's all right, up you get."**

**She turned to the rest of the class.**

**"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear." Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.**

"I can't believe you left a class of Gryffindors and Slytherins alone!" groaned McGonagall while Snape nodded his head furiously.

"I can't believe I did either!" said Madame Hooch with her face buried in her hands.

**No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

"Of course he did!" called one of the third year Hufflepuffs.

Draco winced at the glares he received from a majority of the student body.

Harry coughed to remind them of what he had told them earlier and they all turned away.

**"Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins joined in.**

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

"Thanks Parvati." murmured Neville.

"It wasn't a problem Neville." said Parvati with a smile.

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."**

"Why did you call Parvati by her first name," questioned Harry confusedly. "I thought all of the Slytherins and Gryffindors automatically used last names?"

"If you must know Potter," sneered Pansy. "We were friends before Hogwarts."

"So why weren't you friends in first year?" asked Harry.

"Well," began Parvati. "Once we got to school we were separated into different houses and everybody knows that the Snakes and Lions hate each other."

"So," said Harry in shock and disgust. "Let me get this straight. You stopped being friends because you were sorted into different houses? Are you crazy? You don't give up being friends just because you were sorted into different places. That's just stupid!"

Both Parvati and Pansy flushed. They couldn't decide whether they were angry at Harry calling them stupid or ashamed that they had dissolved their friendship over something like a sorting.

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

Draco's face flushed pink. He didn't know why he was so obsessed with the Remembrall at the time.

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. Everyone stopped talking to watch.**

"Of course we did," called Ron while laughing. "We thought there was going to be a fight!"

"Mr. Weasley!" shouted Professor McGonagall, incensed.

Ron flinched and stopped laughing.

**Malfoy smiled nastily. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find - how about - up a tree."**

"Mr. Malfoy, you do not take other people's things!" shouted McGonagall. She was getting quite red in the face.

**"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn't been lying, he could fly well. **

"Thanks Potter!" called Draco with a small smirk on his face.

"Hey," said Harry while shrugging. "I already admitted that I thought you were a good flyer!"

**Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!" Harry grabbed his broom.**

"Potter," groaned Professor Snape. "You had no idea how to ride a broom. Why in Merlin's Beard would you think of taking off after Mr. Malfoy on one?"

"I wasn't thinking!" called Harry with a grin.

"Obviously!" snarked Professor Snape.

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger. "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble."**

"I don't know why I thought that would stop you!" said Hermione with a grimace.

**Harry ignored her. Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him -and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught - this was easy, this was wonderful. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

The Gryffindors cheered once again.

"He's a natural!" cried the twins in glee.

**He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

"Of course I was stunned," called Malfoy, annoyed. "From what I had heard you grew up with muggles and so you shouldn't have known how to ride a broom at all!"

**"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"**

"I wasn't really going to knock you off!" Harry called with a wince.

**"Oh, yeah." said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.**

Draco was muttering under his breath. "Of course he was worried! Potter looked like he had been flying a broom all of his life!"

**Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

"You really were a natural Potter!" called Madame Hooch.

Harry was blushing and trying to duck down under the table.

**"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called.**

**The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

"It did!" grumbled Draco.

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.**

"Mr. Malfoy!" shouted Professor McGonagall.

"Sorry Longbottom!" said Draco with a smirk.

**Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down - next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball - wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching - he stretched out his hand - a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.**

"Mr. Potter," began Madame Hooch excitedly. "Did the Remembrall really seem to move in slow motion?"

"Um… yeah?" said Harry in confusion.

"Mr. Potter, some of the best seekers the world has ever seen spoke of seeing the snitch move as if in slow motion. It was why their catches always seemed like they knew what the snitch was going to do before it did it!" yelled Madame Hooch. She was so excited. A possible world-class seeker here at Hogwarts under her tutelage!

Harry looked startled.

As did Draco. He wondered if he should mention that he sometimes sees the snitch moving in slow motion when facing the other seekers at Hogwarts but decided to ask Madame Hooch about it later.

**"HARRY POTTER!" His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling.**

"I was so scared!" mumbled Harry.

**"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -" Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "- how dare you - might have broken your neck -"**

"And you could have very easily!" called Professor McGonagall in remembered fright.

**"It wasn't his fault, Professor -" **

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil"**

**"But Malfoy -" **

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now." **

"You know Minerva," said Professor Sprout. "You really should have given the students the chance to explain."

"I had seen the whole thing Pomona which is why I decided not to punish Harry." explained McGonagall.

**Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle.**

"I thought he was going to be expelled and McGonagall hadn't seen me." mumbled Draco to Blaise.

**He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?**

The students began cursing under their breath when they thought about what the Dursleys would have done to Harry.

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him.**

"I wish you would have said something along the way Professor," called Harry with a smile. "I kept thinking of the worst possible things you could do to me."

Professor McGonagall looked ashamed of herself for frightening an eleven year old that much.

**She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.**

While the twins new that Harry had been extremely frightened at the time, they couldn't help snickering at the mental image that Harry's past self had given them.

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.**

**"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment."**

"Go Ollie!" shouted the twins for their former captain.

**Wood, thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?**

"Did you really think that I was going to use a cane on you Mr. Potter?" asked McGonagall with a pale face.

"I told you Professor," said Harry with a reassuring smile. "At that point I was imagining the worst possible scenarios."

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**

**"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.**

**"In here." Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

Professor McGonagall could be heard muttering about Marauders and how they should be punished for teaching someone like Peeves that kind of language.

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.**

**"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker." Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

"Favoritism!" yelled Snape.

"Oh please," said McGonagall while rolling her eyes. "Like you wouldn't have done the same thing if you were in my place?"

Snape huffed and turned his head away.

**"Are you serious, Professor?"**

"As if I would joke about something like Quidditch!" snapped McGonagall.

The whole of Gryffindor house tried to contain their laughter. They knew how much Professor McGonagall obsessed over Quidditch.

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

"Stupid natural talent!" grumbled Draco under his breath.

**Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.**

**"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it." Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

"It was kind of creepy!" called Harry with a shudder.

The twins laughed as they remembered Oliver telling them the story later on. He had a look on his face that told the twins that he would gladly marry Harry or McGonagall or both if Harry was as good as the Professor had made him out to be.

**"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

**"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light - speedy - we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor - a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

Harry smiled in fond remembrance of his first broom. He wished he had kept the pieces after it had been destroyed by the Whomping Willow.

**"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. **

"As long as it has to do with Quidditch," Snape snorted. "You don't mind bending the rules do you Minerva?"

McGonagall merely turned her nose up and looked away but Snape could see a small tinge of red on her cheeks.

**Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..." Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.**

Snape shot McGonagall a smug look.

She merely glared back at him. She couldn't believe that even with Harry on the team it had still taken two more years before they had taken the Cup from Slytherin. Although she had to admit that Harry had a very valid excuse for the first year and no control over the second year.

**"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you." Then she suddenly smiled.**

"Instead, you rewarded him!" said Snape with a sneer.

"Oh," asked McGonagall with a raised eyebrow. "And what happened to Mr. Malfoy for his part in that fiasco?"

This time it was Snape that turned his nose up and looked away trying to hide flushed cheeks.

"That's what I thought Severus." said McGonagall with a smug smile.

**"Your father would have been proud," she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

"That was the third thing I learned about my dad," said Harry with remembrance. "I also learned that he looked like me and was good at transfiguration according to his wand."

McGonagall looked like she couldn't decide whether to cry or go out and destroy the Dursleys.

Many other people had the same looks going on their faces to.

**"You're joking." It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.**

"You actually caused Ron to stop eating?" chorused the twins and Ginny in amazement.

Ron blushed as Harry snickered quietly.

**"Seeker." he said. "But first years never - you must be the youngest house player…"**

**"In about a century," said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me." Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.**

"I was really shocked mate." said Ron.

"I saw that in your expression." said Harry in return with a smile.

**"I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."**

The students in the great hall burst into laughter at this.

"Your joking right Potter?" called one of the seventh year Slytherins.

"There are plenty of secrets that have been kept in Hogwarts." stated Harry with a smirk.

Ron and Hermione joined him in smirking at the rest of the student body.

The students looked at the trio in question and confusion wondering what they could possibly have kept secret at Hogwarts.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over.**

**"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too - Beaters."**

**"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. **

"Sorry guys!" called Harry with a wince.

"No worries mate," said the twins with nods of agreement from the chasers. "We figure there was a good reason you were laid up in the infirmary for three days."

**You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

"He _was_ skipping," said the twins with a shudder. "It scared a first year so much she started to cry."

Over at the Hufflepuff table, Hannah Abbott blushed and ducked her head. What? She had turned a corner and there was this fifth year skipping down the hall with this insane grin on his face!

**"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

Both Snape and McGonagall groaned in unison.

The twins grinned but didn't say anything.

**"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."**

"Your first week?" asked McGonagall in an angry voice.

The twins grins grew bigger and they high-fived each other.

"Well," said Snape under his breath. "At least now we know of one of the passages and can monitor it.

Both the trio and the twins knew that this passage was the one that had caved in and was now useless and so weren't worried.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.**

Draco cringed. He knew how this was going to go and wasn't looking forward to it one bit. Thankfully the professors couldn't take points for it now.

**"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"**

**"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. **

"That's the truth!" called one of the younger Gryffindors.

**There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

**"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose."**

"Draco," groaned Professor Snape while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me you didn't?"

Draco merely turned his head and refused to look at the professor.

**"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?" **

"Mr. Weasley!" shouted McGonagall in anger.

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

**"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."**

Both Snape and McGonagall groaned while the rest of the professors looked like they couldn't decide whether to laugh or frown at them.

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. "What is a wizard's duel," said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"**

"Potter," called Millicent Bulstrode in amazement and disbelief. "You actually agreed to a duel without even knowing what it was?"

"Yes?" Harry shrugged sheepishly.

**"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. **

"Like that helps Ron!" called Ginny in annoyance.

**Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. **

"Thankfully." muttered Professor Snape.

**I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

"I did." said Draco with a shrug.

**"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"**

"Nice of you to think of that after you already agreed to the duel Potter!" called Nott with a smirk.

**"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. **

"That's actually not bad for advice," said one of the Gryffindor seventh years. "At least you have a plan for if something goes wrong."

**"Excuse me." They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.**

Hermione winced as she remembered how she had acted back then before she became friends with Harry and Ron.

**"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.**

"You're joking right?" said Katie Bell with a grin.

**Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.**

**"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying -"**

"Bet you could." several people grumbled.

**"Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

**"-and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."**

"Sorry Harry," said Hermione with a blush. "But I still think you ought not to have gone."

"It's okay 'Mione." said Harry with a reassuring smile.

**"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.**

Sorry 'Mione." said Harry. Now he was the one blushing while receiving several astonished stares at his rudeness.

"You're forgiven Harry." said Hermione.

**"Good-bye," said Ron.**

"Ron!" groaned Ginny.

"Sorry 'Mione." grumbled Ron.

Hermione merely smiled at him.

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing).**

"Where were you Neville," called Hannah Abbott. "Are you okay?"

"You'll find out soon Hannah," said Neville while blushing. "But I am fine."

**Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them."**

"That was really good advice Ron," said Harry with a smile. "Dodging doesn't spend your magic like a shield does and you aren't staying in one place given the chance that a spell might break through."

The professors were seen nodding their heads in agreement and a lot of the students seemed to be thinking about what Harry had just said. They had never thought of it like that before.

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. **

"You are pushing your luck," grumbled Snape. "You always push your luck to the breaking point."

McGonagall, who had heard Severus' comment, couldn't help agreeing with him.

**On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness - this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.**

Harry was smiling sheepishly while Draco was laughing at Harry's thoughts. He had never known he was so important to Harry in the scheme of things.

**"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last. "We'd better go." They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows.**

"I remember being nervous that every shadow was going to turn into Professor McGonagall!" called Ron to snickers from the other students.

**They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.**

"You waited for them?" asked Pansy Parkinson in astonishment.

"Yes," explained Hermione with a put upon sigh. "I wanted to make sure that they weren't still planning on going."

**"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

"I would like to hereby tender a blanket apology for every mean thing I am going to be saying to you 'Mione." said Ron with a blush.

"Thank you Ron," said Hermione. "I accept."

**"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy - he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this." Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

"That _was_ a little below the belt Hermione" said the twins with a faint frown. "Threatening to go to Percy like that."

"I wouldn't have actually done it." said Hermione in a tiny voice while looking down at her lap.

"Ah," said the twins with relieved grins. "Blackmail! Now that is something we can understand. Carry on!"

"Messrs. Weasley!" shouted McGonagall to grins from the twins.

**"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.**

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

Hermione looked hurt at this comment and Harry raced to reassure her.

"I really didn't think that 'Mione!" said Harry with a worried look.

"I know Harry," said Hermione with a small smile. "But it still hurts a little bit."

Harry frowned in the direction of the book for making his friend feel like that. 

**"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves,**

"I am so sorry guys!" said Hermione with tears in her eyes.

Both Harry and Ron put their arms around her and reassured her that she was okay and they know that she hadn't really meant it.

**I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

"Whoa," called Angelina Johnson. "That was fourth year transfiguration! You knew about those in your first year?"

"I didn't know how to do them but I had read about them already." said Hermione with a blush.

**"Go away."**

Several students huffed.

"She was only trying to protect you from getting in trouble!" called Susan Bones.

**"All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so -" But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. **

"I hate when she does that!" shouted the Gryffindor students.

"We may need to look into that Albus," said McGonagall under her breath. "It is no use having a painting guarding the entrance if the students cannot get back inside when they need to even if they are out after curfew."

Albus nodded his head in agreement.

**The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

"Of course," muttered Snape. "So that's how those three get started? An accident due to a painting? Merlin help me!"

**"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

"I was afraid of being caught by one of the professors." said Hermione in response to raised eyebrows.

**"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late." They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.**

**"I'm coming with you," she said.**

"You probably should have just stayed outside Gryffindor Tower." commented Anthony Goldstein wryly.

**"You are not."**

**"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me. If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

The students either shook their heads or snickered at the nerve of Hermione.

**"You've got some nerve -" said Ron loudly.**

"I would have told you to go to hell!" called Lee Jordan who received nods of agreement from the others.

Hermione blushed.

"I would have backed you up 'Mione!" Harry said firmly while sending reproachful glares at the students.

"Gryffindorks," called one of the Slytherins. "To noble for your own good!"

**"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. "I heard something." It was a sort of snuffling.**

"Good ears Potter!" called Terry Boot.

**"Mrs. Norris." breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.**

"That would be just your luck Harry!" said the twins while laughing.

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.**

"Neville!" called Hannah in relief.

**"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours; I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."**

Laughter was heard around the hall and Neville turned beet red in response.

"I am sure that if we asked every one of you, you would all admit to forgetting the password to your common room at least once." said Harry with a firm look around the hall.

The students stopped laughing and started blushing.

Neville sent Harry a thankful look for his help in defending him.

**"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere." **

"Pig Snout? Really?" said Draco with a snort.

**"How's your arm?" said Harry.**

"So polite." cooed Madame Pomfrey and Professor Sprout.

**"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."**

"Of course I did!" called Madame Pomfrey as if offended that someone would think that it would take her longer to mend a broken wrist.

**"Good - well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later -" **

**"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."**

All of the students but the Slytherins, winced in sympathy.

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville. "If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."**

"I doubt you would be unable to understand the explanation anyway!" called the twins in disgust at the thought of the stuttering professor.

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies,**

"I didn't know how to perform the curse but I was going to tell him where to find the information." said Hermione with a smile and red face.

**but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.**

"Well," said McGonagall in resignation. "Even back then they were all following Mr. Potter."

Snape grimaced but had to agree with her assessment.

**They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.**

"I still can't believe we made it without being caught!" called Hermione in some confusion and amazement.

"That's just the way my luck works." said Harry with a weak smile.

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once.**

"Good idea Potter," said Snape grudgingly. "Always be prepared when you know you are entering a confrontation of some sort."

The other professors nodded their heads in agreement.

**The minutes crept by.**

"Felt like hours." grumbled Ron.

**"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.**

"Or he most likely played you like a Slytherin would and set you up." commented sixth year Slytherin student Terrence Higgs.

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak -and it wasn't Malfoy.**

The other three houses looked confused and worried while the Slytherins all had smug smirks on their faces.

**"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris.**

"Ugh, of course it was!" called the twins with disgusted looks.

**Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

"Keep running!" called Justin Flinch-Fletchly.

**"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter. "Probably hiding."**

"Actually," said Harry with a wince. "We were running as fast as we could away from the trophy room."

**"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run -he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.**

"I am so sorry guys!" said Neville with a miserable look on his face.

"No worries Mate!" called Harry. "It actually proved useful in the end."

The professors, as if one person, flinched.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

"I am kind of surprised that no one else heard us." commented Hermione with a frown.

"From what I can tell, you were still in the corridor with the trophy room and there are no dorms or professors' living quarters near there." explained Dumbledore.

**"RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following - they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going - they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

"Merlin," called Ginny in amazement. "You must have run for a long time!"

"It just seemed that way." said Harry with a wince.

**"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

"I had never run so much in my life before!" called Neville.

**"I - told -you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I - told - you."**

"I really need to get into better shape." murmured Hermione to herself.

**"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

"Not quite yet!" said Harry with a smile.

**"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."**

"Now is not the time for I-told-you-so's Hermione!" called Padma in mild rebuke.

**Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.**

"Boys!" called Ginny, Hermione, and several other females around the hall.

The guys pretended to act like they had no idea what the females were talking about.

**"Let's go." It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.**

"It's Peeves isn't it?" said the twins in amusement.

"Of course it is," said Ginny with a grin. "Look who is there leading this whole escapade. 

**It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.**

**"Shut up, Peeves - please - you'll get us thrown out." Peeves cackled.**

**"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties. Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

"That's what you think!" said Ron with a grin.

**"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

"Good idea Harry," said the twins with nods of their heads. "Sometimes he is willing to listen if you ask nicely enough and use the right words."

**"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

"Actually Mr. Potter," said the Headmaster with a smile. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this but Peeves will only really call for a professor or Mr. Filch if the student may be in danger. Unfortunately for you, Peeves was aware of what was nearby and knew that he couldn't let you get any closer."

**"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake.**

"That didn't help your case." said the twins with small frowns.

**"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR" Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door - and it was locked.**

"Please tell me that isn't what I think it is!" groaned McGonagall.

"Okay Professor," said Harry with a cheeky grin. "We won't tell you."

McGonagall glared half-heartedly while Professor Snape tried to keep a smile from breaking out onto his face. That was something Lily would have said.

**"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!"**

"Dramatic much?" called Draco.

"I was eleven!" called Ron with a pout on his face.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves' shouts.**

"Thankfully he can't run very fast or we would have been done for!" said Harry with relief.

"We almost were anyway." reminded Hermione with a pointed look.

Harry just shrugged. They had escaped without any injuries. It was good day in his book.

**"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, 'Alohomora!"**

"I can't believe she knew that spell!" said McGonagall in annoyance and pride.

**The lock clicked and the door swung open – **

"And it worked to!" called Professor Flitwick excitedly.

**they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

**"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."**

The twins and several other students who were familiar with the way Peeves operated, snorted.

**"Say 'please."' **

**"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

"There was no need to be rude!" called the twins with grins on their faces.

**"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.**

"Yes!" shouted the twins and burst into cheers.

Everybody else, besides the trio and Neville, looked confused.

**"All right -please."**

**"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" **

The rest of the people in the great hall looked annoyed with themselves at not getting it from the beginning.

**And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.**

"I shall have to speak with him about his language." said Professor Sprout with a frown on her normally placid face.

**"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay - get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute.**

"What's wrong now?" asked the students in resignation.

**"What?" Harry turned around - and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare - this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

"Oh dear. What is it?" questioned one of the third year Hufflepuffs.

**They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.**

"Uh-oh!" called the students but leaned forward eagerly to find out why it was forbidden.

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

"WHAT!" shouted the students.

"What in Merlin's name is that thing doing there and why?" shouted Draco in surprise.

"And what is it?" called a few of the younger years.

Draco, you'll find out why it is there later on in the year." said Harry with a grimace.

Hermione decided to teach the younger years a little about Fluffy. "That dog is of a breed called Cerberus, a type of three-headed dog. They are mentioned in ancient Greek muggle mythology as the dog that guarded the gates to Hades or the underworld. They are normally found as guard dogs in the magical world although they are not very common being that they get so big and eat so much."

The students looked amazed at having a creature like that at Hogwarts.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.**

"Run!" yelled the other students.

Harry decided not to mention the fact that obviously they had escaped because they were sitting right there in the great hall.

**Harry groped for the doorknob - between Filch and death, he'd take Filch.**

"I don't know Harry," said the twins with shaky grins. "That would be a tough choice!"

They couldn't believe that their younger brothers (because they consider Harry as a second younger brother no matter what Percy said) had gotten involved in so much trouble so early on in the year.

**They fell backward - Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor.**

"I think I would have passed out in fright!" called one of the first year Hufflepuffs.

"That's why they are the Gryffindors." said an older Hufflepuff with a shrug.

**Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared - all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. **

"He's no' a monster 'arry!" called Hagrid with a frown.

"I realize this now Hagrid," said Harry in a placating voice. "But I was only eleven at the time and had never seen, let alone dreamed, anything like that dog existed!"

**They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

**"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

"I don't know why she ever bothers to ask," said the twins. "No one is ever going to tell her because she is one of the worst gossips in the school."

The other Gryffindors nodded their heads while the rest of the students tried to contain their laughter.

**"Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.**

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

"I didn't think I was going to be able to either Harry." said Neville with a grin.

**"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally.**

"That's a very good question Weasley." said Blaise Zabini with a frown of concentration.

**"If any dog needs exercise, that one does." **

"Although that wasn't quite what I meant." Blaise said wryly while others snickered and Ron blushed.

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. **

"Hey!" called Hermione in annoyance.

Both Harry and Ron winced and avoided her glares.

**"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"**

"The floor," commented Draco with a small sneer and the rolling of his eyes.

**"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."**

"Exactly my point Potter!" called Draco.

**"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." **

"Ooh!" called some of the students.

"What's it guarding?" asked several others.

"You'll find out later!" called the trio with smug looks on their faces.

**She stood up, glaring at them. "I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. **

"Hermione, you really need to get your priorities in order." said Tonks with a pointed look.

**Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed." Ron stared after her, his mouth open.**

"It's a normal look for Ron!" sniggered the twins.

"Oi!" called Ron in annoyance.

**"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"**

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed.**

"Of course it did!" snarked Snape with a grimace.

**The dog was guarding something... What had Hagrid said?**

A lot of the students were trying to remember while a few had looks of realization on their faces as they figured it out.

**Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide - except perhaps Hogwarts.**

**It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

"I really wish he couldn't put these types of things together so accurately." commented Snape to McGonagall.

"I agree with you Severus," said Professor McGonagall. "But what are we going to do? Ask him to dumb himself down? That's what the Dursleys apparently did and I will not have myself thinking anything even remotely similar to them in any way."

"I still want to know how you three became friends because it sure doesn't look like you were back then." questioned Alicia Spinnet.

"You'll find out soon enough." said Harry with a grin.

"That's the end of the chapter," called Blaise. "Who wants it next?"

"I would like to try!" called Neville with a hopeful look.

"Here you go Mr. Longbottom!" called Professor Dumbledore as he levitated the book over to him.

Neville grabbed the floating book and opened it to the tenth chapter. "**HALLOWEEN" **he read out loud.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all paled and sent worried looks at the professors. They hoped that Dumbledore's no-punishments-for-past-actions rule was still in play otherwise they were dead.

The students noticed the looks and wondered what had happened that Halloween that would cause looks like that from the trio. A few of them remembered the troll but decided to keep quiet in case they were wrong.

The twins were trying to think back as to what had happened that day and then remembered the troll during the Halloween Feast. They paled and looked towards Ron and Harry in question.

The two nodded their heads infinitesimally and continued to look worried.

The twins proceeded to join them. They wanted to know exactly what their little brothers had to do with a troll being loose in the castle.

**A/N 2: **All of the sports facts came from my sister's fiancé who is from England and a rabid soccer fan. He assures me that everything I stated was true including the facts about the number of sports and the amount that David Beckham is paid ($40,000,000).

I am being distracted from this story by the plot bunny I mentioned on my profile so updates might take a little bit longer now. Every time I start to explain something in this story, it gives me another great idea for my other story that I will be eventually starting and I have to write it out before I forget it. I have written several chapters now that just need to be fleshed out with more dialogue and descriptions. I will most likely be posting them in the next few weeks or so, so be on the lookout.


	13. Halloween

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait people! The chapters are going to be coming slower now. I am in the home stretch for school and its summer at Disney so work is crazy! I have also started a new story that is taking up half my time now. Check it out if you want to!

Please don't forget to leave me a review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER TEN - HALLOWEEN.**

"I hate Halloween!" stated Harry in a firm voice as he remembered everything that had happened to him on that particular day.

Hermione opened her mouth to question Harry but abruptly shut it when Ron elbowed her in the side.

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.**

"I know now!" called Draco as Harry and Ron tried to hold their laughter in.

**Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure, and they were quite keen to have another one.**

"Potter," groaned Snape. "Are you trying to give the professors grey hair?"

Harry tried to look innocent but the glares he received from Snape and McGonagall made him think that it didn't work so well.

**In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection. **

Neville broke off his reading as many of the students turned to discuss the same question with their friends and neighbors.

Harry couldn't help but wonder if none of the other students had paid attention at the beginning of this whole fiasco when Madame Bones read the title of the book out loud.

**"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.**

"Or both!" called several students.

**"Or both," said Harry.**

Harry and his friends laughed.

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

"It's like a mystery novel!" called Sally-Ann Perks.

"What in Merlin's name is a mystery novel?" questioned Theodore Nott.

"The muggles who write fiction novels tend to group them into categories based on what they contain," explained Sally-Ann. "A mystery novel would be a story based around the main character trying to solve a mystery that they have encountered. It could be a murder mystery, a lost item or person, or something to that effect. They're very popular with muggles as the point of the story is to try and figure out the solution before the book tells you."

"That…" said Nott with a bemused look on his face. "Actually sounds kind of interesting."

"Oh it is," called Hermione with an excited look on her face. "There are currently about one hundred and forty-six _million_ books in print in the muggle world. At least half if not three-quarters of them are considered fiction books."

The purebloods looked amazed. They never knew that the muggles had so many books available for them to read.

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.**

"Yeah," commented Hermione wryly. "That changed."

"Not for me." called Neville with a grin on his face that got wider after he saw Hermione sticking her tongue out at him.

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.**

Both Harry and Ron winced and Hermione looked hurt as several people called out in indignation.

They sent apologetic looks towards Hermione who smiled back at them.

"I still can't believe that you weren't friends right away!" called Ginny in astonishment.

**All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.**

"Really, Potter?" asked Draco wryly.

"Hey," exclaimed Harry in defense. "We were eleven! And you started it!"

Laughter was heard throughout the great hall as they watched Malfoy and Potter argue that back and forth like children.

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls.**

"Cause, you know," stated Fred in a sarcastic voice. "The shape of the package left no clue as to what it could be."

**Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. **

"That poor bacon." muttered Ron while shaking his head.

**They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said: **

_**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.**_

_**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.**_

_**Professor McGonagall**_

All of the Gryffindors seemed to exchange looks before they turned to look at McGonagall and said "I want a broom Professor!"

McGonagall huffed at her students who laughed at her.

**Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one." They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.**

"Really Malfoy?" said Harry, mimicking what Draco had said earlier.

Draco tinged pink at the laughter from the other students.

**"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."**

"That's true Professor," called Harry with a small frown on his face. "If you let me on to the team as a first year than you should have let others try out in their first year also."

"You are correct Mr. Potter," said the Headmaster. "That is why we changed the rules the subsequent year. However, the first years must demonstrate exceptional flying skills to Madame Hooch to before they are allowed to try out. We do not want any first years getting themselves injured during a Quidditch team tryout because they believe that they are better than what they actually are."

"I guess that makes sense." agreed Harry as the other students reluctantly nodded their heads.

**Ron couldn't resist it.**

"Of course you couldn't." commented Harry with a small smile.

Ron merely shrugged in reply.

**"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "It's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."**

"But it's already been proven that the broom factors only very little in the scheme of things when it comes to playing Quidditch," stated Hermione. "It really is a matter of who the better player is."

**"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig." **

The Weasleys were heard growling under their breath.

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.**

Professor Flitwick bounced excitedly in his chair at the mention of his name.

**"Not arguing, I hope, boys." he squeaked.**

"Would we do that Professor?" chorused Draco and Harry at the same time.

The students were practically falling off their chairs in laughter. Even Professor McGonagall's lips were twitching.

**"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

"Tattletale!" muttered Ron under his breath.

Harry elbowed him in the side to get him to shut up.

**"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

"A Nimbus Two Thousand," sighed Harry in remembrance. "How I miss that broom. Not that my Firebolt is bad or anything but still, it was my first broom."

The other Quidditch fanatics all sighed along with him as the rest of the student body tried to hold their laughter in.

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sit," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.**

"That was really quite Slytherin of you Potter." called Professor Snape with a smirk.

"I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about sir." said Harry in an innocent voice and a smirk on his face.

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. "Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team..."**

"Don't remind me Potter," yelled Draco before mumbling to himself. "Bloody infernal luck!"

**"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.**

Hermione winced at the reminder of her attitude before she made friends with Harry and Ron.

Harry noticed what she was doing and put his arm around her shoulders. "'Mione, we all know that Ron and I were gits and you had trouble talking to people your own age back then. We got over it and so did you. There is nothing wrong with you and everybody knows this so calm down."

"Thanks Harry." said Hermione quietly.

"It's the truth." Harry said with a shrug.

**"I thought you weren't speaking to us." said Harry.**

"Mr. Potter," called Professor McGonagall in offense. "Where are your manners?"

**"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."**

"You to Mr. Weasley!" yelled McGonagall with a red face.

Ron flinched but Harry merely looked at her calmly.

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

"I did not have my nose in the air!" said Hermione in a furious whisper.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well," huffed Hermione after trying to stare him down for a few seconds. "It wasn't that far in the air."

Harry smiled and hugged her harder.

**Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night.**

"Just like James!" murmured McGonagall to herself with a fond smile as she remembered Harry's father doing the exact same thing.

**He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.**

**"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.**

"Yeah!" sighed the other Quidditch fans along with him including Harry and McGonagall.

Hermione was snickering into her hand along with a few other students at the look of dreaminess plastered on their faces.

**Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.**

"It was so pretty!" called Ron with a look on his face usually reserved for the most sumptuous feasts.

Hermione couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter but Ron never noticed.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He had never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.**

"I thought the same thing!" called several other muggleborns.

The purebloods looked confused but Harry could see Professor Burbage writing it down on her list of things to talk about later.

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling - he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.**

"He really is a natural." grumbled Snape under his breath but unfortunately for him, McGonagall heard him.

"Just like all of the Potters who have come through here." she chirped in happiness.

**"Hey, Potter, come down!' Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.**

"Yay Ollie!" cheered the Gryffindor team.

**"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant... you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."**

"Ah," sighed Fred in wistfulness. "Practices…"

"Only three times a week…" said George with a look of longing on his face.

"How we miss you!" called Harry and the three chasers.

The rest of the students laughed, not realizing how bad Oliver was going to get as the years went on.

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.**

"That still confuses me!" shouted one muggleborn to nods of agreement from the others.

**"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

All the chasers in the great hall stood up and bowed to cheers from their houses.

**"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.**

"Hah," called one of the Slytherin purebloods. "At least we know what soccer is now!"

Harry and the other muggleborns smirked.

**"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"**

The majority of the first year muggleborn, who were listening intently to this explanation, nodded their heads.

**"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So - that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

"What's basketball?" asked Draco despite trying to stop himself.

**"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously. **

**"Never mind." said Harry quickly.**

"I'll explain it later Malfoy," said Harry with a smile. "Although Professor Burbage will most likely be explaining to a few others later on as part of her list of things to talk about."

**"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper – **

Once again, the keepers stood up to applause from their house members.

**I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

**"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. **

Harry thought it was kind of cute when he noticed the Ravenclaw muggleborns writing down the explanation that Oliver was giving on the game of Quidditch as if they were going to be tested on it later. He also noticed the muggleborns in other houses were quietly repeating what was being said in an effort to memorize it.

**Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

**"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this." He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.**

"Is someone going to be explaining what all these sports terms are?" questioned Hermione as she looked over the confusion rampant in the great hall.

"Don't worry Ms. Granger," called Professor Burbage. "I will be talking about it in my class where we will cover all of the major muggle sports so that people have a basic idea of what they are and how to play them."

"You should let the students play them," called Harry with a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe once they learn about them, you can gather teams made up from the class and a few muggleborns and let them play each of the games. There is nothing like actually playing it to reinforce the idea of what the sport is about."

"That's a good idea Mr. Potter," said Professor Burbage. "I just might do that!"

**"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers." He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

"Nasty things!" called Madame Pomfrey with a frown.

**"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.**

"He did what?" squawked Susan.

**At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air - it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.**

"That's a fair shot Potter!" called one of the Slytherin beaters.

"Thank you," called Harry with a mild blush on his face. "Wood said something similar."

**"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team - the Weasley twins are ours - it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team.**

Both of the Weasley twins stood and strutted around their end of the Gryffindor table to laughter from the audience as the other beaters stood to cheers.

**So - think you've got all that?" **

The majority of the first year muggleborns nodded their heads tentatively while a few of them seemed to be reciting what they had learned under their breath as if to make sure they definitely had it.

Harry tried to hold his laughter in. It was just too cute!

**"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.**

**"Very good," said Wood.**

**"Er - have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.**

"Well," said Snape in resignation. "At least he is somewhat concerned with his own life! I never thought I'd see the day!"

The students all snickered at this while Harry tried to decide if he should be offended or embarrassed.

**"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers."**

"**Unless they crack my head open."**

"Or you have a house-elf trying to save your life by killing you!" snickered Ron to laughter from Hermione.

**"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers - I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves." **

"You know Severus," mused McGonagall. "That has to be one of the most accurate descriptions of the twins I have ever heard."

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball.**

**Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

"The snitch!" breathed the four seekers as their eyes darted around the hall as if it would appear for them to chase.

**"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win.**

"Unless you're on a team like Victor Krum!" called Seamus with a smirk.

**That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages - I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. **

The seekers all stood up to the loudest cheers from the students yet. Harry blushed a little but the other seekers seemed to like being recognized for their talents.

**Well, that's it - any questions?"**

A few of the first years raised their hands until Madame Hooch called out "Don't worry children. We will be going over this again along with the basic rules in class later on in the year."

They looked relieved at this answer. There were a lot of things they still didn't understand.

**Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

Harry's friends and several other Quidditch team members snorted at that. If Harry was any better he would be playing professionally!

**"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these." He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.**

"How did Oliver get a hold of golf balls?" asked Harry as if remembering a question he had forgotten to ask earlier.

"He's Scottish Mr. Potter," called Professor McGonagall with a wry grin.

**Harry didn't miss a single one, and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.**

"Too bad." murmured Harry.

**"That Quidditch cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle.**

Harry winced as he remembered that it had been his fault that the Gryffindor team hadn't won that year.

Hermione glared at him as if she knew what he was thinking about.

**"I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."**

"He sounded completely confused," called Harry with a laugh. "As if he couldn't understand someone wanting to do anything other than Quidditch."

"He can't!" called the Weasley twins and the three chasers to snickers.

**Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. **

"I love Hogwarts!" called Harry with a smile.

**The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. **

The students and staff were once again reminded of the Dursleys and glared at the book. A child should not consider their school as a better home than where they grew up.

**His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

"Thank you Mr. Potter!" squeaked Professor Flitwick to Harry's blush.

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors.**

The students all sighed dreamily as they thought about the Halloween feast.

**Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. **

"Poor Trevor!" said Neville.

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). **

"I'm sorry Nev," said Harry as he winced. "I didn't mean that!"

"It's alright Harry," said Neville with a small smile. "You made up for it this year."

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. **

"I was!" called Ron and Hermione in unison and then turned to glare at each other.

Harry merely tried to contain his laughter.

**She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.**

"Obviously the silent treatment doesn't work on those two." said Daphne Greengrass wryly.

"Only occasionally." said Hermione with a smirk towards her two friends.

**"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

The twins were seen muttering to Lee as the contemplated testing this bit of advice.

**It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it - Harry had to put it out with his hat.**

"So that's what those hats are for!" called one of the first year muggleborns to laughter from the older students.

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**

**"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

"Harry," shouted Ron in affront. "I was not waving my arms like a windmill!"

Harry proceeded to mimic what Ron had been doing in that first class. The other students chortled as they watched.

"Ron," soothed Harry. "You were just being a little enthusiastic, that's all. Remember that Seamus set his on fire and I never got it either."

Ron huffed and turned away with a red face.

**"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

"That was probably not the best way to go about things Ms. Granger." said Professor Sprout gently.

**"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

"Ooh," said the twins with a wince. "That was a mistake, challenging 'Mione like that!"

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

A lot of the other students looked amazed at her getting this charm so quickly.

**"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"**

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly." **

There was shocked silence in that hall at this remark. They knew that the trio were the best of friends. How could that have happened if Ron was making comments like this?

"Mr. Weasley," shouted McGonagall with an ugly frown. "I cannot believe you said something so callous!"

Ron turned pale and tried to duck under the seat until Hermione spoke up in his defense.

"Please Professor," she called. "He was eleven and didn't realize I was behind him. All children make nasty remarks that they don't really mean once they have time to think about it. And he made up for it later."

"That's beside the point Ms. Granger," said Professor Sprout. "However, we will continue on but if he makes any other remarks like this one, we will be speaking Mr. Weasley."

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione.**

**Harry caught a glimpse of her face - and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

"Why were you startled to see her in tears Mr. Potter?" questioned Madame Pomfrey.

"I grew up with the Dursleys ma'am," said Harry with a shrug. "I learned quickly that anything they said was not the truth, merely something they were saying to get a reaction out of me."

"Sorry Hermione," said Ron with a red face. "But I grew up with so many siblings that fighting was a constant thing. We all knew that anything said like that wasn't meant, merely part of the fight. Once we cooled down we always apologized."

The professors could see the twins and Ginny nodding their heads in agreement. They hadn't thought of it like that. Mr. Weasley was probably used to his siblings retaliating, not running away in tears. He must have been shocked when Ms. Granger didn't immediately say something nasty back at him.

**"I think she heard you."**

**"So." said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. **

"That's when I realized that she wasn't going to fight back like Ginny would have done." murmured Ron.

**"She must've noticed she's got no friends." Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone.**

"I was wondering why I couldn't make any friends," said Hermione in a downcast voice. "I was trying really hard but Hogwarts was turning out exactly like primary school. No one wanted to be friends with the bushy-haired bookworm. I thought that maybe I should call my parents and ask them to come get me."

Harry and Ron looked horrified. Not have 'Mione there? That was sacrilege! They were so glad that things had changed before she had time to send a letter asking her parents to take her away from school.

**Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

"Boys!" called several of the females in the hall with disgusted looks.

The boys looked confused. It was the Halloween feast! What did they expect!

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face.**

"Bloody git!" yelled Ron and Harry.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," yelled McGonagall in return. "Language!"

**Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know." He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

Those students in the years below Harry looked frightened. How could a troll get in the castle?

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

"Of course it took a lot," mumbled one of the Ravenclaw seventh years. "We were scared out of our minds!"

The younger students looked even more scared.

**"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" **

"Professor Dumbledore," called Harry in an curious voice. "Aren't the Slytherin dorms in the dungeons? Shouldn't they have gone somewhere else? Matter of fact, why didn't you just keep us all in the great hall?"

"Potter," said Pansy in a suspicious voice. "How do you know where the Slytherin dorms are?"

"I never said that I did." said Harry calmly.

"Mr. Potter," called Dumbledore in amusement. "The reason why I didn't have all of you stay in the great hall was that the troll would have smelled the students in such great concentration and come here immediately. I didn't want the troll to be coming here as the teachers were leaving to find it."

After a few minutes of contemplation, Harry muttered "Makes sense!"

**Percy was in his element.**

Percy blushed lightly as he noticed several students laughing at him. He also saw the twins pretending to gag and was very annoyed.

**"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

"As if being a prefect was going to stop the troll!" called Ginny in disgust.

Percy just blushed even harder.

**"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.**

**"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke." They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions.**

"I'm surprised no one was trampled in the rush." Madame Pomfrey said with relief.

**As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.**

"What is it now?" groaned a few people.

**"I've just thought - Hermione."**

"Oh hell!" called a few of the Gryffindors in realization.

**"What about her?" **

**"She doesn't know about the troll." **

He younger years paled in fear.

"With your luck Potter," called Blaise in worry. "She is going to be caught by the troll!"

Harry winced in reply.

**Ron bit his lip.**

**"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

There was some nervous snickering at this.

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

**"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.**

"Nice reflexes Ron!" said Harry with a grin.

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.**

**"What's he doing," Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

Some of the students sent Snape a suspicious glance. Why wasn't he down with the other teachers?

"I can't believe he saw me!" groaned Snape under his breath to McGonagall.

"Are you really surprised?" she said with a quirk of her lips.

**"Search me."**

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.**

"Forget Snape," called several people. "Find Granger!"

**"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

**"Can you smell something?" Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.**

"Ew!" shouted the majority of the students as they wrinkled their noses.

**And then they heard it - a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed - at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

The pale looks returned as a lot of the younger years grabbed onto their friends in fright.

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

"That's an excellent description Mr. Potter!" called Professor Flitwick with a nervous look.

"That's what a troll looks like?" asked the younger years.

"I am never going near one!" exclaimed the students. "Ever!"

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, and then slouched slowly into the room.**

"At least it didn't discover you." breathed Madame Pomfrey.

Harry and Ron both refused to look at her.

**"The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

**"Good idea," said Ron nervously.**

"That is a good idea!" said the twins in relief. That means that their little brothers wouldn't be confronting the troll!

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

The students all cheered. They had done it!

**'Yes!" Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop - a high, petrified scream - and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

"Oh bloody hell," said the twins in frightened resignation. "It's the girl's bathroom."

**"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

**"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.**

"Like we knew where the girls' bathrooms were," called Harry as he defended Ron and himself from the glares. "We were eleven!"

**"Hermione!" they said together.**

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have?**

"Go get a professor?" questioned McGonagall weakly.

"It was a little late for that Professor!" said Harry with a shrug.

**Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.**

At this point the twins came over and sat beside Harry and Ron. Each twin grabbed onto one of them and held tight. Ginny grabbed Hermione and did the same.

"Oi!" shouted Harry and Ron in annoyance.

"Be quiet!" hissed the twins.

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.**

A good majority of the females all looked faint. Trapped in a bathroom with a troll!

**"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.**

"Good plan!" muttered McGonagall through tight lips.

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, and then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

"So now it is focused on you Mr. Potter!" yelled Professor Sprout in worry.

"Well yeah," said Harry with a small shrug through George's tight hold. "But I had a better chance at fighting it than 'Mione!"

**"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.**

Fred gasped before holding Ron even tighter than before. Ron's face was slowly turning blue but he knew better than to say anything.

**"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

"That probably wasn't the best time to freeze Hermione!" yelled Hannah Abbott as she chewed on her fingernails.

Hermione decided not to point out that she was right there and perfectly fine. It seemed that everybody was really into the book and not noticing what was going on around them.

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

"Oi Fred," called Ron as he tried to break away from Fred's arms that were slowly suffocating him. "I need to breathe!"

Fred hadn't seemed to notice and kept his arms wrapped tightly around Ron.

**Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.**

A few students screamed in fright.

"Of course he did!" grumbled Snape with a pale face. He hadn't known that Potter had actually tried to physically take on a fully grown mountain troll!

**The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"I'm not sure he appreciated you clearing his sinuses for him Harry!" said Dean with a nervous chuckle.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.**

Harry could see the professors all had a white-knuckled grip on their chairs. Everybody seemed to be watching the book as if it was going to change into the troll right in front of their eyes.

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand - not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

"Weasley," barked Tracey Davis. "You can't even perform that spell! Why would you try something that you know you can't do?"

Ron would have responded but he couldn't speak through the grip Fred had on him.

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over - and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

The whole hall flinched back before looking amazed.

"I can't believe that worked!" shouted a few of the other students.

"I think that was Potter's luck coming into play!" said Draco with a slightly paler than normal face.

Fred and George finally eased up on their grips allowing Harry and Ron to try and regain their breath.

**Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.**

"I was frozen in shock that it had worked." grumbled Ron as he rubbed his throat.

**It was Hermione who spoke first.**

"Don't ask me how either!" muttered Hermione in remembrance.

**"Is it – dead?"**

"Probably not," said Angelina with a nervous look. "Which means get the hell out of there while you can!"

"**I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out." He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.**

**"Urgh - troll boogers." He wiped it on the troll's trousers.**

"That's disgusting!" called Katie Bell.

"I hope you had someone disinfect that for you Harry!" said Alicia Spinnet with a grossed out look on her face.

"I asked Percy to later that night." Harry said with a small smile towards the pale man sitting at the staff table.

Percy tried to smile back but was still trying to get over the fact that his brother had faced a mountain troll and won. And he hadn't even known he was missing! What kind of brother was he?

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up.**

"And here come the professors!" called Colin Creevey.

**They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars.**

"We thought that the troll had caught a student!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall with a hand over her chest.

**A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

Harry could be heard muttering to himself until Hermione exclaimed "Harry! Language!"

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.**

"So naïve!" said Harry with a fond smile of remembrance.

McGonagall could be seen glaring at Harry with twitching lips.

**Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.**

"I have no idea why I thought that." said Harry with a frown.

"Because you were eleven years old and had just defeated a mountain troll?" asked Hermione wryly.

**"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice.**

"It's obvious that you weren't!" said Snape with a small glare towards the trio.

**Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. **

Snickers were heard at this as Ron blushed furiously. He hadn't realized that he was still holding his wand up.

**"You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" **

"'Cause we had to save 'Mione?" asked Ron with a grin towards his friend.

**Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.**

"Observant git!" mumbled Ron.

Harry merely whistled innocently and looked at the ceiling.

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows.**

**"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."**

"You tell 'em Hermione!" called Ginny with a grin.

Hermione only sent a sickly smile towards the staff table in response.

**"Miss Granger!" Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

**"I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read all about them." Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?**

"Merlin," exclaimed the twins. "It's like the end of the world has come at last!"

Hermione wanted to say something but kept quiet at the glares from the professors.

"I can't believe she lied to me!" pouted McGonagall quietly.

**"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.**

"You failed!" Snape said with a small sneer.

**"Well - in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

"You believed them?" shouted several Gryffindors in shock.

"I was so relieved that they hadn't been killed that I wasn't thinking straight." said McGonagall with a small blush.

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

The student body laughed as they pictured Professor Snape handing out candies like the Headmaster did.

Snape looked offended but knew that it was true.

**"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall.**

"You only took five points?" shouted the Slytherins.

McGonagall once again flushed pink.

The Gryffindors puffed up in pride that their head of house was the best of them all.

**"I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses." Hermione left.**

"Lucky!" mumbled Harry and Ron to Hermione who grinned at them.

**Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.**

"Dun, dun, duuunnn!" shouted one of the first year muggleborns to laughter from the other students who got the joke.

**"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

"You let them off way to easily Minerva!" said Snape with a frown.

"How was I supposed to know that they were going to make a habit of things like this Severus?" McGonagall said with a huff.

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

The trio all wrinkled their noses in remembered disgust.

**"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

"Mr. Weasley," called Professor McGonagall in annoyance. "Be glad you got any points at all and not a detention!"

Ron flushed red.

**"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

"At least we came out with positive points," Harry said with a shrug. "Usually we end up in the negative."

**"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

Ron flinched back from the glares he received at this comment.

**"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.**

"Or if Ron hadn't opened his big mouth in the first place." said Ginny with a frown towards her brother.

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.**

**"Pig snout," they said and entered.**

The other houses looked amused and interested at the choice for Gryffindor's password.

"Do you think that one of the older students that year knew about Tonks?" questioned Harry under his breath to his friends.

"Most likely." said Hermione after thinking about it.

"It was an unusual password." agreed Ron with a shrug.

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up.**

"It was a great feast!" called the twins, finally seeming to have gotten over the whole troll incident.

**Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

"That's it," yelled one of the older Ravenclaws in amazement. "You defeat a troll at eleven and all you can do is say thanks?"

The trio blushed at the rumblings.

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

"So all we have to do to make friends is fight a fully grown mountain troll?" questioned Anthony Goldstein with a grin.

"It worked for us!" called the trio after exchanging glances.

The other students were muttering to their friends in amazement that all this had happened.

"That's the end of the chapter," called Neville with relief. "Who wants to read next?"

Before anyone could say anything, Neville glanced down at the title of the next chapter and laughed. He turned to the Gryffindor table and said "Lee, I think you should read next!"

Lee looked confused but shrugged in agreement. He didn't mind reading a chapter. He took the book from Neville and turned to where he had left off. The students were startled to hear a cheer and turned to see what was going on.

Lee had a look of excitement on his face as he called "The title of the next chapter is **QUIDDITCH**!"

Excitement and applause broke out in the hall as the students wanted to hear about Harry's first Quidditch match.


	14. Quidditch

**A/N: **Hey guys! Sorry it has been so long but life caught up with me. My mom lost her job and me and my sister had to move home so that we could help pay the mortgage. I also had to get a second job along with trying to keep up with my classes. Then my dad got pneumonia which didn't help any.

I will try and update frequently, but like I said, my life is extremely busy right now so updates will be infrequent and slow. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN - QUIDDITCH.**

Lee announced the title of the chapter in his Quidditch announcer voice to cheers from the students.

"Settle down students!" called Umbridge in her sickly sweet voice.

The students and several of the staff members glared at her for interrupting their fun.

**As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. **

"You got that right!" called the students as they shivered.

**The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. **

"You have such a descriptive imagination Potter!" snorted Nott.

**Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaver-skin boots.**

"Oh," sneered Snape. "So the brooms are more important than the walkways that we travel on?"

Hagrid blushed but was delighted to see a few of the students glare at Snape in his defense.

**The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. **

"Not a good idea for a first match." moaned one of the Hufflepuffs.

Both the Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch teams looked offended.

**If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.**

"It was such a great dream!" called Alicia with a smile on her face.

**Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. **

"A secret," snorted Harry. "In Hogwarts? I doubt it!"

"We've managed to keep several secrets!" said Hermione in a smug voice.

"Well," said Harry after thinking about it for a moment. "That's true. I guess some secrets can be kept from the rest of the school."

The rest of the students looked extremely interested in what these secrets were and whether these books would eventually tell them.

**But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, **

The twins started whistling innocently and looking at the ceiling overhead.

"You told them?" barked Harry in an annoyed voice.

Angelina and Alicia both smacked the twins on the back of their heads in punishment.

**and Harry didn't know which was worse - people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.**

"I still haven't figured out which was worse." Harry muttered to Ron under his breath.

Ron sent him a grin and said "At least there were a few willing to try and save you if you fell."

**It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. **

Harry looked towards Hermione and smiled when he noticed her beaming.

"I still can't believe you became friends after fighting a troll Potter," said Draco in amazement. "Most people just start talking to each other about the things they have in common!"

The trio blushed and ducked their heads while the other students snickered.

**He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. **

"Mr. Potter," exclaimed McGonagall. "You better have been doing your own work and not copying off of Miss Granger!"

"He wasn't Professor," said Hermione with a small smile. "I merely helped him keep track of what needed doing and when and proof-read some of his essays, that's all. Harry would never copy off of someone."

"Besides Professor," Harry said with a shrug. "I liked doing most of my homework. I wasn't allowed to get good grades at the Dursleys for fear I would seem smarter than Dudley and so being allowed and encouraged to actually do the work was refreshing."

The professors looked furious that the Dursleys would have held Harry back like this.

**She had also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

"I love that book!" yelled several of the Quidditch players and fans including Ron and Harry.

**Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.**

"Whoa!" called several of the first years. They needed to read that book!

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it.**

"Miss Granger," groaned Professor Snape as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe you allowed these two to corrupt you like that!"

Harry and Ron smirked as Hermione blushed and the other students tried to hold their laughter in. They remembered how much nicer Hermione had gotten after Halloween that year. It seems that Harry and Ron had told her about how she was perceived by the other students and she had toned down her attitude.

**The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar.**

"Aargh," screamed Terry Boot in frustration. "That is a third year spell! Why are you not in Ravenclaw?"

"Because her bravery outweighs her intelligence!" called Harry with a look of pride directed towards Hermione.

"You got that right!" Ron called and smirked at Hermione's blush.

**They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. **

"Merlin Potter," snapped Snape. "Do you have to notice every little thing?"

"Sorry Professor!" called Harry with an innocent smile on his face.

Harry's friends had to duck to hide their laughter as they saw the look of consternation on the professors' faces.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. **

"You looked like you were plotting," commented Snape with a small sneer on his face. "Of course I noticed!"

"Boys," said Hermione while trying not to laugh. "I think we need to work on our poker faces."

Harry, Ron, and the other halfblood and muggleborns laughed.

**He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.**

"Isn't he always trying to find a way to tell off anybody not in Slytherin?" someone shouted in a bitter voice.

Harry noticed Professor Snape had twitched almost imperceptibly.

**"What's that you've got there, Potter?" **

**It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.**

**"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."**

"He made that up!" called some of the Ravenclaws as they glared at the Professor.

Snape merely turned his nose up and refused to answer although Harry thought he could see a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

**"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?" **

**"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.**

"Mr. Weasley," shouted Professor McGonagall in a furious voice. "You do not say things like that about people you know!"

Ron flushed a bright red but mumbled under his breath "It's not like there wasn't other people thinking the same thing."

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening.**

"When is it not?" called several of the older Gryffindors to laughter from the rest of the house.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), **

"Thank you Ms. Granger," said McGonagall with approval. "I appreciate you not giving in and letting the other students copy off of your work."

**but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.**

"They really weren't copying Professor," called Hermione in a soothing tone. "I made sure that if they had something wrong that we went over it so they would understand why it was wrong and helped them to come to the right conclusions."

**Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape?**

"Uh…," yelled another student. "Because he's scary as all get out?"

A lot of the students in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw were seen nodding their heads fervently in agreement.

Snape looked as though he didn't know whether to be pleased or angry that the students found him so scary.

**Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.**

"Definitely a Gryffindor!" Fred told George in a low voice.

**"Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.**

Harry could see Snape mumbling under his breath in annoyance as McGonagall gazed at him in amusement.

**He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer.**

**He knocked again. Nothing.**

"Gee Potter," called Draco in a sarcastic voice. "You think that maybe there is no one there?"

Harry merely stuck his tongue out in Draco's direction to several startled snorts of laughter.

**Perhaps Snape had left the book in there. It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside - and a horrible scene met his eyes.**

"It was Professor Snape and Professor Trelawney snogging!" yelled the Weasley twins.

The students spent the next few minutes both laughing and trying not to lose their breakfast all over the floor.

Professor Snape could be seen at the staff table being held in his chair by Professor McGonagall as she spoke quickly to try and keep him from going after the twins in his rage.

Once the students had quieted down Professor McGonagall turned towards the twins and started to yell "Messrs. Weasley! If I ever hear something like that again coming from you, you will be in detention with Professor Snape until your children graduate Hogwarts! Is that clear?"

The twins, with pale and sweaty faces, frantically nodded their heads in agreement.

**Snape and Filch were inside, alone.**

"Oh Merlin," called one student in a shaky tone. "That's an even worse image!"

Gagging sounds could be heard all over the hall as the students tried not to picture the scene in their minds.

**Snape was holding his robes above his knees. **

"Potter!" shouted Snape, almost incoherent in his rage.

"It's not me Professor," called Harry shakily while pointing his finger towards the four Unspeakables sitting at the end of the staff table. "They're the ones who wrote this, not me!"

Snape turned his rage on the four Unspeakables who merely shrugged at him in response. Once again McGonagall had to hold him in his chair so he could not get up to go after the objects of his rage.

**One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.**

"I can't believe Filch was actually trying to help someone instead of cause them more misery!" yelled a Slytherin seventh year to murmurs of agreement from the rest of the students.

**"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

"So you were going to the third floor!" exclaimed a first year Hufflepuff in shock.

Snape pointedly ignored the stares and questioning looks he received from the students.

**Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but – **

**"POTTER!" Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.**

**"I just wondered if I could have my book back?"**

"Seriously Potter," asked Blaise Zabini in amazement. "You still tried to get your book back?"

Harry blushed a little bit and mumbled "It just kind of came out."

**"GET OUT! OUT!"**

**Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. **

"Should have taken points later on!" grumbled Snape in annoyance.

**He sprinted back upstairs.**

**"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?" In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen.**

**"You know what this means." he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him - he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

"I believe you owe me a broomstick Potter!" called Snape with a smirk on his face.

"You'll have to speak to the Whomping Willow, sir," said Harry with a grin. "I believe the tree is the one holding it right now and is not inclined to give it back. What's left of it anyway."

**Hermione's eyes were wide.**

**"No - he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."**

Snorts were heard from all of the houses but Slytherin.

**"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. **

"Well," sighed Hermione. "At least I have since learned that is not true."

Harry grinned as he patted her on the back in fake commiseration.

**"I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after. What's that dog guarding?" **

"That's what we want to know!" called several students in annoyance while glaring at the trio.

Harry, Hermione and Ron merely smirked at them in response.

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind - he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours - but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

"I would have had nightmares." said Neville in a scared voice.

Harry turned at once to Neville to calm him down. "Neville, you are a lot braver than you give yourself credit for. I bet you wouldn't have had as many nightmares as you think you would. After the first few, your inner Gryffindor would show up and scare them away."

Neville blushed but sent a thankful smile at Harry in response.

Harry sent a pointed glance towards Snape who grimaced but nodded his head in acknowledgement. 

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.**

Lee interrupted his reading to call out "Woo-hoo, Quidditch!" along with the twins and several other players.

McGonagall tried to contain herself but Harry could see a glint of excitement in her eyes.

**"You've got to eat some breakfast."**

**"I don't want anything." **

**"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.**

**"I'm not hungry."**

"I really wish you would eat more mate," grumbled Ron in concern. "Every single time you are nervous about something you don't eat and that just makes things worse."

"I know Ron," said Harry with a small smile. "But I always feel like I am going to throw it back up and so don't want to take the chance."

Ron sighed in resignation but exchanged glances with Hermione. They decided to try and find something that Harry could eat when he was nervous so he wouldn't have to keep missing meals like this.

**Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.**

**"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."**

"Sorry Harry," mumbled Seamus in shame. "That didn't come out the way I had thought it up in my head."

"It's alright Seamus," said Harry with a grin. "I figured out what you were trying to say."

The other students were still trying to get over the fact that Harry Potter, one of the best, if not THE best flyer that Hogwarts had ever seen, was too nervous before a Quidditch game to eat.

**"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.**

"Hey Hermione?" called Dean with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yes Dean?" questioned Hermione.

"Is there any spell that could mimic a Jumbotron that we could use to make watching the game a little easier?" asked Dean with an excited look.

"Ooohhh!" murmured several muggleborns in excitement.

"You know Dean," said Hermione with a thoughtful look on her face. "I don't think there is. That is an excellent idea though. You might get with the professors and see if they could come up with something that would be equivalent to it."

"What's a Jumbo… whatsit?" asked Draco in confusion as he voiced the question on all of the purebloods minds.

"Imagine a huge portrait," said Harry after he noticed that Hermione and Dean were too busy talking. "It would be about the size of the floor in one of the classrooms. Now, instead of it showing whatever an artist painted, it shows what is going on right now. Now what if someone took this Jumbotron and put it at each end of the Quidditch pitch and it would show a gigantic, close-up view of the players as they are playing the game. You can also pause it, rewind it to show the same thing over and over and over for a replay of what just happened, and show the score and other things like plays and stuff."

The students looked interested in this idea. That would actually be really helpful. The students hated when they couldn't see all that was going on because they were too far away or in the wrong location at the time. Anything to make the Quidditch games more exciting and easier to see!

"Mr. Thomas," called Professor Flitwick with an excited grin on his face. "Get with me after this is done and we will go over your idea!"

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.**

"Thanks guys," Harry said with a grin. "That really helped me out!"

His friends grinned at him in return, thankful they had helped him during his first game.

Harry suddenly frowned in confusion. "Although I am still not sure why you said 'for President'"

Hermione merely shrugged and said "Alliteration?" with a sheepish grin. 

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).**

**Wood cleared his throat for silence.**

"Oh Merlin," said the twins while slumping. "Here we go again!"

**"Okay, men," he said.**

**"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.**

"He always forgets!" grumbled Angelina to snickers from the other students.

**"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."**

**"The big one," said Fred Weasley.**

**"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**

**"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."**

"He seriously did the same speech each time?" asked Cho Chang with a laugh.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team exchanged glances and then in flat voices said "Yes."

Laughter was heard as McGonagall merely sighed and shook her head. Oliver always was a fanatic. Only focused on Quidditch!

**"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."**

"You know," mused the twins. "He never really carried out that threat."

"Thank Merlin," mumbled Harry with a blush. "Or I would have been in big trouble!"

**"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.**

The students in the hall cheered as they got caught up in the excitement.

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.**

**"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her.**

"You were joking right Madame Hooch?" one of the seventh year Gryffindors asked the Quidditch referee.

"One of these days it is going to work!" she called out to laughter from the other students

**Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. **

Some of the Slytherins looked like they were nodding their heads in agreement while Snape could be seen mumbling under his breath "It would certainly explain his grades if he did."

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.**

"See," exclaimed Harry in amusement. "I told you it helped!"

Ron, Hermione, and Dean all laughed at him in return.

**"Mount your brooms, please." Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand.**

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.**

"Yes!" called the Quidditch fans and players around the hall as they leaned forward eagerly to hear about the game.

**Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"**

**"JORDAN!"**

"I stand by what I said Professor!" called Lee with laughter.

"Why thank you Lee!" said Angelina with a smile on her face.

**"Sorry, Professor." The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

"Of course I have to watch him closely," grumbled McGonagall. "The things he would say otherwise…"

Laughter from the students was heard around the hall. They loved Lee's commenting. It made the game more interesting.

**"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - he's going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which - nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"**

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.**

The Gryffindors in the hall joined their past selves in cheering as the Slytherins booed good-naturedly.

**"Budge up there, move along."**

**"Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.**

"Hagrid," exclaimed Harry with a pleased smile. "I hadn't known you had come to watch my game. Thanks!"

Hagrid grinned at him in return and said "As if I'd'a mis't it 'arry!"

**"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"**

**"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet." **

**"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'." said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.**

"As if Potter is ever 'keeping out of trouble'" grumbled Snape in mild annoyance with nods of agreement from McGonagall.

**Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.**

**"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."**

"That's actually pretty good advice for your first game against Slytherin." mumbled one of the seventh year Gryffindors.

"Not that it did much good." said Harry with a wry grin on his face.

**When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch.**

**Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches,**

"You noticed that?" called the twins in shock.

"Yes," grumbled Harry and then glared at them. "Which reminds me… What in the bloody hell were you doing wearing gold jewelry in a Quidditch match?"

The twins winced in shame as Hermione yelled out "Harry! Language!"

**and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.**

**"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.**

**"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"**

Murmurs of excitement from the younger years could be heard around the hall as they all leaned forward.

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.**

"I cannot believe he did that," grumbled Snape as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Obviously I am going to have to watch the Quidditch practices from now on to make sure something like this does not happen again."

McGonagall sat there and smirked triumphantly in his direction.

**Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch -all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.**

"Hah!" barked Snape in McGonagall's direction as she frowned.

"Sorry Professor," called Katie Bell. "But it was Harry's first game and we all wanted to see how he would do."

"Yeah," mumbled Alicia. "Everyone on the field kind of forgot what was going on for the moment."

"I hadn't seen flying like that in years!" said Madame Hooch in amazement.

Harry ducked down so that hopefully no one would see his red face. 

**Harry was faster than Higgs - he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead - - he put on an extra spurt of speed - WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below – Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.**

All of the younger years cried out in anger as the older students looked on in amusement.

"That was a deliberate foul!" shouted one of the first year Slytherins.

**"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.**

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.**

"Ahh!" moaned the students in disappointment.

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

**"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.**

"That's what we would like to know." called a few of the purebloods with confusion on their faces.

**"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"**

"Oh!" said the purebloods in answer.

**"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him.**

**Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.**

**"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."**

"That's true," mumbled McGonagall. "Maybe we should take a look at the rules and see if they need some revising? I would hate for someone to get hurt like that because there is no known punishment for someone to do that."

Snape could be seen thinking it over as Madame Hooch nodded her head frantically. "I think it might help if the players know that they would not be able to continue the game or maybe even not play the next one if they know they were to deliberately do something like that."

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.**

**"So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating-"**

**"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.**

A few snickers were heard at Lee's commenting.

**"I mean, after that open and revolting foul-" **

"**Jordan, I'm warning you -"**

A lot more students were laughing as they watched McGonagall glare in Lee's direction as he read his own words out loud.

**"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."**

The students cheered the continuation of the game.

**It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.**

The students cried out in confusion. What was going on? Brooms weren't supposed to act like that!

**It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal- posts - he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out - and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.**

Harry could see several of the first years with their hands in front of their eyes as if watching the game.

The rest of the students were whispering with their neighbors trying to figure out what was going on with Harry's broom.

**Lee was still commentating.**

**"Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle - passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose - only joking, Professor –**

A little bit of nervous laughter could be heard but the majority were wondering what was going on with Harry.

**Slytherins score - Ah no..."**

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying- him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.**

"Why doesn't anybody notice what is going on with Harry?" called out one of the Hufflepuff first years who was almost in tears.

A few of the older students moved to comfort the tiny first year and let her know that Harry was going to be okay.

**"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."**

"At least Hagrid noticed!" grumbled one of the Ravenclaw second years as he glared at the older students and teachers who blushed in shame.

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. **

So did all of the students in the hall. The older ones were remembering what they had seen and the younger ones were picturing it in their minds and how scared they would have been if that had been them on that broom.

**Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

"Oh Merlin!" shouted some of the first years in fright.

**"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.**

"That wouldn't have affected a broom like that!" called a Ravenclaw seventh year in a shaky voice.

**"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."**

"So it's a teacher?" called the students in shock as they turned to glare at the staff table.

The professors leaned back in their chairs as they noticed all the glares being sent their way.

"Guys," called Harry in a soothing tone. "Calm down and don't worry. Everything works out fine."

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.**

**"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.**

"I don't know why I questioned!" said Ron in an amused voice.

**"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape - look." Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.**

There was a sudden inhalation of air as all of the students turned towards Professor Snape.

**"He's doing something - jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

**"What should we do?"**

**"Leave it to me." **

"Oh Merlin, oh Merlin!" Hermione was chanting under her breath as she tried to duck under the table.

"Hermione," said Harry in a whisper. "You'll be fine. Snape can't punish you remember? The most he can do is yell."

"But he can still yell really loudly!" wailed Hermione.

"We'll protect you 'Mione," said Ron in a hard voice. "After all, you were trying to help Harry and that is all that matters."

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good - every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell.**

The younger students were holding on to each other in fright as the older students tried to calm them down.

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

Several people took the time to boo this act of unsportsman-like conduct on behalf of the Slytherin Quidditch team captain.

"I never noticed him do that." mumbled Snape with a frown.

**"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.**

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.**

It was here that Snape's head snapped up and looked towards Harry who nodded his head yes.

Harry then sent Snape a warning with his eyes and then looked towards Hermione who was cringing in her seat. Snape looked at her in realization and anger before he reluctantly nodded his head in return.

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well- chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.**

The hall became abruptly silent as everyone realized what had just been read out loud.

The twins slowly tuned to look at Hermione who was almost under the table now. "You… you set Professor Snape on fire?" they stuttered out in question as if not daring to believe what they had just heard.

Hermione didn't answer as she was too busy trying to dig a hole to crawl into and disappear.

"You are our new hero!" called the twins as they rushed over and started to bow down before her.

The hall was filled with noise again as the students started to yell at each other in response to a student daring to set Professor Snape on fire.

"Quiet!" yelled Harry in an angry tone. "Let Lee finish reading!"

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire.**

"My robes are made to block accidents that may happen in potions class so it would take a little while for the heat of a fire to get through." Snape murmured to McGonagall after she had sent him a questioning glance.

**A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row - Snape would never know what had happened.**

"I do now," called Snape loudly. "Ms. Granger, you will see me after we are done here!"

Hermione whimpered in response but Harry was quietly telling her about how he had already warned Snape not to be too hard on her.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.**

"Thank Merlin!" called the same first year Hufflepuff that had almost been crying earlier.

Harry sent her a small smile in thanks for her worrying about him.

**"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.**

"Thanks Neville!" said Harry in response with a grin on his face.

"No problem Harry." said Neville with a small blush on his face.

**Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick - he hit the field on all fours - coughed - and something gold fell into his hand.**

"He caught the snitch in his mouth?" called on of the third year Slytherins in disbelief.

"It's Potter," shrugged Draco. "What do you expect?"

**"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.**

**"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference - Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results - Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty.**

The Gryffindors were cheering in response even though the game had been five years ago.

"And that's when the Gryffindor team's domination over Quidditch began." sighed Cho Chang in resignation.

The other teams just nodded their heads in agreement.

**Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.**

"We were wondering where you had disappeared to," called Katie with a smile. "We couldn't find you at the after party in the tower."

**"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."**

A few of the students went back to glaring at Professor Snape but quite a few manage to figure out that if it had been Snape he wouldn't be here right now, so obviously something else was going on.

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.**

"Like I would have lied!" grumbled Harry as he rubbed his scarred hand in response.

**"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." Hagrid dropped the teapot.**

**"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.**

"Fluffy!" shouted several of the students in disbelief and amazement.

**"Fluffy?" **

**"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"**

"Guard the what?" called the students in eagerness.

**"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."**

Everybody groaned in annoyance. They wanted to know what was being guarded!

**"But Snape's trying to steal it." **

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."**

It was here that the trio had to snort. Being a Hogwarts' teacher did not stop anybody from trying to kill Harry so far.

**"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.**

**The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.**

Hermione cringed when she saw Snape muttering angrily to himself at the staff table.

"Severus," soothed McGonagall. "Even you have to admit that so far the evidence is against you. Would you have thought any different at their age?"

"No," grumbled Snape. "But that doesn't mean I can't be angry about it!"

**"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"**

"Yes but it also applies to counter-curses to!" called Draco in defense of his godfather.

Realization dawned on several faces as they took this fact in.

**"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. **

"Like that has ever stopped us!" called Ron while laughing.

**You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', **

"Not going to happen!" yelled several students in amusement.

**that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel -"**

"Nicolas Flamel," murmured some of the more well-read students. "Now where have I heard that name before?"

**"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" Hagrid looked furious with himself.**

"As you should be!" called Snape in an angry tone to Hagrid who was blushing and trying to duck down.

"And that is the end of the chapter," called Lee in excitement. "Who wants to read next?"

"I believe I will Mr. Jordan!" called Professor Flitwick. He floated the book over to himself and opened it to the next chapter.

"The next chapter is Chapter Twelve and is called '**THE MIRROR OF ERISED.**'"

"Oh great," mumbled Harry to his friends. "Now they are going to find out about my cloak and what we see in the mirror!"

"Bloody Hell!" mumbled Ron with a pale face as he looked towards his siblings.


	15. The Mirror of Erised

**A/N: **Here we go people! The next chapter! Thanks for being so supportive even though it is taking me so long to get each chapter out now. I appreciate the reviews and comments that I receive from each of you! Hopefully the next chapter will be out sometime in January.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

**CHAPTER TWELVE - THE MIRROR OF ERISED.**

"Professor Dumbledore?" called Harry in an anxious voice.

"Yes Mr. Potter?" asked Dumbledore.

"Certain… items won't be taken will they," he said while glaring at Umbridge and Fudge. "I mean… they can't do that can they?"

"Of course not Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore with a reassuring smile. "It is a legitimate family heirloom. Unless they are planning on passing a law that allows the Ministry to seize all family heirlooms, which I assure you will most definitely not pass, then they have no legal right to it."

While Harry and his friends were breathing a sigh of relief the rest of the students were exchanging confused glances. What did Harry have that would cause him to be so worried that Ministry would take it?

Meanwhile, Umbridge was glaring in Harry's direction and wondering what he had that would cause him to ask that question. Maybe she needed to look over some of the laws to see if the Ministry could confiscate whatever it was. If it made that brat happy then she wanted it out of his hands and into hers!

"Thank you Professor," Harry said with a smug grin in Umbridge's direction who glared at him in return. "You can keep reading Professor Flitwick."

**Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.**

"Oh Merlin," called Harry in a shocked whisper to his friends. "I can't believe that I forgot about that!"

Ron, whose face had paled to the color of the fore-mentioned snowballs, said "Do you think we should tell them or just keep quiet and see if they notice at the end of the book?"

"I think we should see if they catch it themselves," Hermione said with a wicked grin. "If they don't, we can always trade favors from them for the information later on."

Ron and Harry turned to their female friend with shocked and admiring looks on their faces.

"I always said that she was brilliant but scary!" Ron said in a stunned voice as Harry nodded his agreement.

**The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.**

Hedwig, who had sitting on a perch that Harry had transfigured for her, barked as if in protest of this.

Harry turned towards her and said "Hedwig, we know that the book wasn't talking about you!" He sent several glares around the hall at the students. "As if you would ever let a little thing like snow stop the greatest owl in the world from delivering mail!"

Hedwig scanned the room and then ruffled her feathers, satisfied that they knew she was not one of those owls that had to be nursed back to health. The nerve to imply that she was weak!

The other students had to try very hard to contain their laughter at the proud owl. Even Snape's lips could be seen twitching.

Harry quickly motioned for Professor Flitwick to keep reading before someone lost control and actually laughed.

**No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms.**

Several of the students shivered in remembrance. They hated it when the classrooms got cold! It was so hard to concentrate on classes!

**Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

The professors could hear many of the students grumbling about how cold it was in the classes down in the lower levels.

"Severus," muttered McGonagall under her breath. "We really do need to find a way to keep the dungeons warmer. Especially during classes."

"I know that Minerva," grumbled Snape. "But any warming charms cast could interfere with the potions being made."

"What if we heat up something, like rocks, beforehand and then let them sit throughout the classroom," questioned Flitwick with a pensive look on his face. "That way there would be no active magic involved in the class and the students would still be able to keep warm?"

"That might actually work," said Snape with a thoughtful frown. "If we can heat enough of them to a hot enough temperature then the heat would take at least the entire lesson to dissipate and the class would not have any risks from active magic and very cold students who can't concentrate. I will have to test this theory over the next few weeks to see if it works."

**"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home." He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled.**

The majority of the students stood up and growled in Draco's direction as he flushed pink and flinched back.

Harry gave a disgusted sigh and stood up. "Guys! We all know that Malfoy is a prat," it was here that Harry sent Draco an apologetic look. "But we are trying to get through these books and if people are going to interrupt every time someone says something offensive, we will be here for years. We have all insulted one another at numerous times. Get over it and move on." He then sat down and crossed his arms to glare at everybody.

The students grumbled but sat back in their seats.

Professor Sprout leaned over and murmured "Maybe we should just put Mr. Potter in charge of the school. He seems to be doing a better job than we are in keeping the students in line!"

Several of the other professors nodded their heads in agreement with amazed looks on their faces.

**Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them.**

"I hate it when he ignores me!" mumbled Draco to himself with a small frown.

**Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next.**

"That wasn't really funny," shrugged one of the seventh year Hufflepuffs. "I haven't heard of many seekers who could stay on their broom after being tossed around like that and still manage to catch the snitch in their mouth on the way down to the ground."

**Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. **

"See!" called the same Hufflepuff to nods of agreement from the older students who remembered seeing the game.

**So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.**

Draco flinched a little at this but noticed that he was only receiving a few glares. Apparently Potter's statement from before had had an effect on the students.

**It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas.**

Harry couldn't help but smile as several of the students cheered at Harry not having to return to those nasty people.

**Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had.**

Harry could see both Hermione and McGonagall muttering angrily under their breath and wondered if maybe he ought to feel a little sorry for what was probably going to happen to the Dursleys after these books were finished. Then again… nope.

**Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.**

"Isn't Charlie the brother that works with dragons?" asked Dean.

"Yeah," shrugged Ron. "He loves the great big fire-breathing menaces."

"So your family is going to a dragon reserve for Christmas?" questioned Cho in an incredulous tone.

The rest of the students couldn't decide if they were jealous or extremely thankful that they weren't going to a dragon reserve.

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.**

**"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.**

"You mean you actually were polite and offered to help someone?" Ginny asked her brother in a snarky voice.

Ron decided to follow Harry's lead and stuck out his tongue at her to laughter from around the hall.

**"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron." **

**"Would you mind moving out of the way," came Malfoys cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose - that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to." **

"I hope Mr. Potter will be able to turn Mr. Malfoy's attitude around Severus," grumbled McGonagall under her breath. "Otherwise your godson is going to get himself hurt one day with that attitude of his."

Snape was doing everything he could to keep a neutral expression on his face. He had known that Draco had a snotty attitude but he hadn't known that it was this bad! He needed to find out what Potter was planning on doing with Draco and see if maybe he couldn't help out.

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.**

"Of course," grumbled most of the students. "He probably waited until he knew Snape was coming!"

Draco flushed a little. That was exactly what he had done. He had wanted to get Harry and his friends in trouble without getting himself in trouble to and so had timed it just right to make sure that he hadn't been heard by Snape.

**"WEASLEY!" Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.**

**"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."**

"Thanks Hagrid!" called Ron with a grin.

**"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you." **

"He is right Mr. Weasley," said McGonagall with tight lips. "Fighting is against the rules and normally, most professors would have taken a lot more than just five points."

She then turned to Snape and said in a quiet voice "But he also should have listened to Hagrid and found out the whole story about what was going on."

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.**

**"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him -"**

**"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."**

Both Draco ad Snape winced a little bit when they heard this. They had known at the time that they hadn't liked Potter either but now they kind of felt… well not so much as hurt but disappointed that Harry felt that way.

Harry noticed their winces and sent both of them small smiles as if to reassure them that things were changing and he no longer felt quite like that.

**"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat." So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to -the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.**

**"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree - put it in the far corner, would you?" The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.**

The students all sighed as they remembered what the great hall looked like during Christmas. It was so beautiful. The first years looked excited. They couldn't wait for Christmas to see the hall for themselves!

**"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.**

**"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me -Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."**

"Wait, what?" exclaimed several of the older students in amazement.

"Granger I can understand but Potter and Weasley?" questioned Anthony Goldstein.

"Hermione," wailed the twins. "You've corrupted them! How could you?"

"You'll see," called Ron with a smirk and then turned to the rest of the trio. "If only it had been actually useful!"

Both Harry and Hermione snickered quietly.

**"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.**

**"The library." said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays. Bit keen, aren't yeh?"**

**"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is." **

"Oh," mumbled the students. "That makes more sense!"

The twins had a hurried conversation with each other before turning to the trio. "Very well," they said. "We approve of the library visits in that case."

The Ravenclaws looked mildly offended as everybody else laughed.

**"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here - I've told yeh - drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."**

"Yeah," grumbled Snape as he tried not to roll his eyes. "Like that is going to work!"

McGonagall looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or sigh in resignation.

**"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.**

Several snorts were heard from both the students and the professors as the trio turned innocent looks towards the rest of the hall.

**"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere - just give us a hint - I know I've read his name somewhere."**

"So have I!" mumbled several of the more well-read students including most of the Ravenclaws. It frustrated them that they couldn't remember where they had read it and what it signified.

**"I'm sayin' nothin, said Hagrid flatly.**

"Well done Hagrid," called McGonagall with an approving smile. "Don't give in to their machinations!"

Hagrid beamed and blushed while the trio pouted and the rest of the students laughed.

**"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.**

**They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal. The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.**

"An excellent start!" called one of the seventh year Ravenclaws.

**And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.**

Hermione and the Ravenclaws all had dreamy looks on their faces while the rest of the student body shuddered.

**Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.**

"That isn't actually a bad plan," called Susan Bones with a smile. "He might get lucky and find him purely by chance."

There were several considering nods at this as the students tried to think about how they would go about trying to find just a name and no other information in the library.

Ron flushed in pride and sent a pointed look at Hermione who huffed and looked away while Harry snickered quietly.

**Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. **

"While he is in the Restricted Section Mr. Potter," called Dumbledore with a smile. "He can also be found in the regular parts also."

The students were talking to their friends and neighbors as they questioned if anybody had remembered reading about him before.

**Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. **

"Not until second year anyway!" Harry said with a grin towards his friends.

**These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.**

"As if there has been any study of advanced DADA with the teachers we have had," grumbled one of the seventh year Slytherins. "Although maybe Professor Lupin and Moody covered it while they were here."

"What are you looking for, boy?"

**"Nothing," said Harry.**

**Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.**

**"You'd better get out, then. Go on - out!" Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library.**

"You should always have an excuse or alibi for such occasions Harry," said the twins with solemn expressions. "You never know when it might be needed!"

Harry, to snickering heard around the hall, turned to the twins and said "Thanks guys! I'll try and remember that in the future!"

**He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.**

Harry and his friends all flushed as Snape glared at them. They couldn't help it if all the evidence at the time pointed to him. Plus, it's not like he made himself out to be a trustworthy person!

Some of the more intelligent students seemed to realize that if it had been Snape, he most likely would not still be teaching at the school. There must be something they are missing!

**Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing.**

"That would make it difficult." murmured some of the older students.

**What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.**

"Not going to happen Mr. Potter!" called Madame Pince with a frown.

Harry did his best to maintain an innocent look while Ron and Hermione ducked down to hide their snickering

Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads.

The students all groaned. They wanted to know who Nicolas Flamel was!

**They went off to lunch.**

"Ooohhh," said Ron with a dreamy look on his face. "Lunch!"

The rest of the Gryffindors laughed as they were well acquainted with Ron's enormous appetite.

**"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."**

"Hermione," laughed Alicia. "Do you really think that Ron and Harry are going to spend their Christmas holidays in the library with you not there to prod them along?"

Harry and Ron flushed red as Hermione sighed and said "Well, I was hoping!"

**"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them?"**

"Actually Mr. Weasley," called Dumbledore with a twinkle. "Nicolas Flamel is known in the muggle world. Ms. Granger's parents might have heard about him."

The students were shocked. A wizard was known to muggles! Was that allowed?

Dumbledore could see the questions on the students' faces and so continued on. "Several of our more well-known and historical witches and wizards are known throughout the muggle world although they are usually considered part of mythology and not really thought to be real. Merlin, Flamel, Circe, Ptolemy, Rasputin, and many others' stories are known and considered part of the mythology and history of several places. You'd be surprised at how much the muggles know about the magical world but don't believe to be true."

Several students seemed to be considering this and then shrugged. They would have to look into it later.

**"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione.**

"What in Merlin's name are dentists?" called the purebloods.

Hermione got a mischievous look on her face before replying. "Dentist are the muggle equivalent of teeth healers. They help muggles to take care of their teeth and perform surgery and oral care if they don't. They can remove teeth by drilling them out and replacing them with fake ones if it gets bad enough."

The purebloods paled and clamped their mouths shut in response while the muggleborns and a few halfbloods tried to hold their laughter in.

**Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel.**

Alicia joined in the laughter from the rest of the students as she said "See? I told you!"

**They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork - bread, English muffins, marshmallows - and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.**

"What," said Harry in a defensive voice to the stares he was receiving from the other students. "I bet he did the same thing!"

Draco couldn't help but nod his head as he thought of all of the plans he had come up with to try and get Harry expelled over the years. Looking back he realized that some of them were just plain ridiculous!

**Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered.**

Ron flushed a little but noticed that no one seem to care about the mention of his family's poverty. 

**Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family - in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.**

"Unfortunately!" called the Gryffindors, who had all played against Ron a time or two and all lost.

Ron was sent several considering looks from the chess players of the other houses. They wondered if he was really as good as the Gryffindors seemed to think he was.

**Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all.**

"It's not just you Harry," said Seamus with a sigh. "They don't seem to trust anybody, even me."

**He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight. Send him, we can afford to lose him." **

"You should never really listen to Chess pieces," said Ron. "Especially new ones. They don't really care if you win the game, they only want to stay 'alive' and so will tell you to make the dumbest moves in order for you not to move them and get themselves destroyed."

Harry shot Ron a disgruntled look. "You could have told me that when we were playing Ron!"

Ron grinned at him in return. "That's strategy mate!"

**On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all.**

For the first time in a while, growls were heard directed at the book. Stupid Dursleys! The book shouldn't have mentioned them again. It's the holidays; a happy time not a time to be reminded of your relatives who hate you!

"Mr. Potter," called McGonagall in a hard voice. "Did they never give you any presents for Christmas either?"

"Um," said Harry nervously. "Define presents?"

Professor McGonagall took that as an answer to her question and turned back towards the book with a glare on her face.

**When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.**

The majority of the people in the great hall cheered.

Umbridge on the other hand, thought that Potter should not have gotten any presents. As if he deserved them the little brat!

**"Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.**

**"You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"**

**"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's.**

"Sorry Harry!" mumbled Ron through the blush on his face.

"It's okay Ron," said Harry with a smile. "It's not like you knew what was going on or anything."

**Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it - it sounded a bit like an owl.**

"Thanks Hagrid," called Harry with a smile. "Hedwig really likes the sound of it when I get it out and play it for her."

"Aaaaawwww!" cooed the majority of the females.

**A second, very small parcel contained a note.**

_**We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. **_

_**From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.**_

**Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.**

The muggleborns were all grumbling to themselves and glaring at the book as the purebloods wondered exactly what a fifty-pence was.

**"That's friendly," said Harry.**

Harry blushed as he was sent a few glares and snorts at him for saying that the Dursleys were actually being 'friendly'.

**Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.**

"Of course he was!" snickered several of the professors who all knew Arthur Weasley and his fascination for muggle things.

**"Weird!" he said, 'What a shape! This is money?"**

Hermione called out to the obviously confused purebloods and said "I have some in my trunk that I can show you later."

They nodded in appreciation. They couldn't figure out what was so weird about money.

**"You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle - so who sent these?" **

**"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mum. I told her you didn't expect any presents and - oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater." **

"There is nothing wrong with Mum's sweaters!" called Ginny indignantly.

"I know that Ginny," said Ron with a sigh. "But I thought Harry would be used to better things and I was embarrassed."

**Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.**

"Oohh," called Draco with a smirk. "Potter, you wore Slytherin colors?"

Harry blushed as the students snickered.

"Mum said that she chose that color 'because it matched his pretty eyes!'" laughed Ginny.

**"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."**

"I thought you liked maroon?" asked Ginny in confusion.

"Not really," mumbled Ron. "It looks ridiculous with my hair. I prefer blue but mum never remembers."

Ginny and the twins exchanged glances. Apparently Ron has reasons for his inferiority complex and they needed to speak with their parents as soon as possible to fix this.

**"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.**

"Your mum makes the best food," drooled Harry. "Especially treacle fudge!"

**His next present also contained candy - a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.**

"Thank Merlin my parents weren't aware of what I sent you for Christmas," said Hermione with a pale face. "If they knew that I had sent you chocolate they would have killed me!"

**This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.**

**Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.**

"What is it?" called one of the first years in an excited whisper.

**"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is - they're really rare, and really valuable."**

The rest of the students leaned forward in their seats as they tried to figure out what it could be.

**"What is it?" Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.**

Several of the older pureblood students gasped as they figured it out.

**"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is - try it on." Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.**

Loud exclamations were heard around the hall at this. Potter had an invisibility cloak? That wasn't fair!

"Invisibility cloaks are a restricted item Mr. Potter," called Umbridge with a nasty smirk on her face. "I am afraid the ministry is going to have to confiscate that!"

The students gasped in outrage. She couldn't do that!

"Actually Madame Umbridge," Dumbledore broke in. "I am afraid that Mr. Potter's cloak is a family heirloom and is not admissible under those laws. Unless, like I said before, the ministry is going to try and pass a law that would allow them to seize family heirlooms, you do not have the legal means to take the cloak from Mr. Potter."

Umbridge was about to speak up when she noticed the glares from all of the purebloods in the room. She realized that there was no way that their families would allow a law like that to pass. She looked towards Madame Bones, who shook her head negatively, before sitting back in her chair with a huff. 

**"It is! Look down!" Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.**

"Whoa," came the shouts from the younger students. "Cool!"

"I want one!" called Fred and George in envy. Think of all the pranks they would be able to get away with if they had one!

**"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!" Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:**

_**Your father left this in my possession before he died. **_

_**It is time it was returned to you. **_

_**Use it well.**_

_**A Very Merry Christmas to you.**_

**There was no signature.**

While the students were still exclaiming over the cloak and who would give it to him, Harry noticed that both McGonagall and Snape were glaring at the headmaster and whispering furiously. He wondered if they knew who had given it to him.

Meanwhile, both Professor Snape and McGonagall were berating the headmaster for giving Harry that cloak. They wanted to know why in the world he would give something like an invisibility cloak to someone like Harry Potter. It would just allow him to get into even more dangerous situations!

Dumbledore just told them that it was not his to keep and then twinkled at them.

**Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.**

**"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?**

"Yes it did!" grumbled both Snape and McGonagall as they remembered all the trouble that the Marauders had gotten into with that cloak.

**Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

"And yet you still hadn't shared the news with us," whined the twins with mock outs on their faces. "Even after all of these years!"

"Do you know what the professors would have done to me if they found out that I had given you the cloak to use?" asked Harry while rolling his eyes.

The students were all pale as they contemplated the twins having that cloak and all the mischief they would have been able to get up to.

"But they haven't found you with it yet!" called the twins with a frown.

"That's because we only use it a few times a year," said Harry with a pointed look. "Whereas you two would be using every night. More chances of being caught!"

**"Merry Christmas!" **

**"Hey, look - Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.**

**"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

"Actually," called Ginny with a frown. "When mum heard that Harry didn't expect any presents she wanted to make the sweater extra special just in case."

**"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm." **

**"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head. **

**"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid - we know we're called Gred and Forge."**

Snickering was heard from the younger years as the older students all rolled their eyes at the old joke.

**"What's all this noise?" Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.**

**"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."**

**"I - don't - want said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

**"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family." They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.**

"Too bad he didn't remember that later on!" snarled the twins as they glared towards Percy at the head table.

Harry noticed Percy wincing a little bit and vowed to himself to get the Weasleys together to talk this out before more damage was done.

**Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce - and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet, and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.**

Ron's stomach could be heard growling even over the laughter from the students at Dumbledore's flowered bonnet.

Ron flushed red as Hermione and Harry snickered at him. He couldn't help it! He was a growing boy and he loved the Christmas feasts!

**Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.**

The hall grew silent as everyone stared at Professor McGonagall in amazement. They didn't know she could giggle let alone blush!

McGonagall, on the other hand, was flushed pink and looking at the ceiling. Darn Potter and his too observant eyes!

**When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set.**

"I used the balloons on Dudley and told him that they were alien spaceships coming to kidnap him for experiments," said Harry with a grin. "He tried to stay up all night to watch for them but fell asleep and that is when I used the warts kit and the next morning told him they were a sign that he had been taken. He completely freaked out and went wailing to Vernon and Petunia who couldn't understand why he would think that having a few warts would constitute being kidnapped by aliens. They were so worried that their precious 'Dudders' was turning freakish."

All of the muggleborns and most of the halfbloods were falling off their chairs in laughter. Those purebloods with muggleborn friends had them explain what was going on and then joined in the laughter.

The twins turned towards and Harry and said "Harry! We are so proud of you! Why didn't you tell us of this most excellent prank before?"

"I had forgotten about it by the time that you guys came to get me." Harry said with a shrug and a smile.

**The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris' Christmas dinner.**

Most of the females in the hall shuddered while the boys thought that was pretty cool even though they all hated Mrs. Norris.

**Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds.**

"Which we totally won!" called Harry, Ron and the twins.

Harry and Ron turned to glare at the twins who glared right back at them in return. Professor Flitwick started reading again before an argument could break out.

**Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.**

The rest of the Weasleys snorted in laughter as Percy huffed with pink cheeks.

**After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.**

Percy stopped blushing so he could glare at the twins who merely smirked at him in return.

Harry knew he definitely would need to talk to Percy before he left so the Weasleys could hopefully get this situation straightened out before their family was completely estranged from each other. He hated to see a family like the Weasleys break up and would do what he could to prevent it happening.

**It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever.**

The was some grumbling heard around the hall and the reminder of Harry's home life and how he had been treated.

**Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.**

The students were quietly discussing who could have sent something so expensive as an invisibility cloak and not tell Harry who it was.

Harry noticed both Snape and McGonagall glaring at the Headmaster who merely smiled at Harry when he noticed him looking.

**Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster.**

"Of course he did!" said Ginny as she rolled her eyes.

**Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.**

**His father's... this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.**

"The things…" called Fred with a dreamy look on his face.

"We could do…" said George as he joined Fred in their fantasies.

"With that cloak!" they both finished before sighing in envy and turning to Harry with expectant looks on their faces.

"No!" said Harry before they could open their mouths to ask.

"But…" whined the twins in protest as the other students laughed in relief.

"No!" said Harry with a final shake of his head before he crossed his arms and turned away from the twins.

The twins slumped in depression before they perked up and turned to each other.

"Maybe we can make one!" they said in excitement before pulling out another piece of parchment and scribbling some ideas down.

**He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.**

"That would be kind of creepy!" shuddered one of the first year muggleborn Hufflepuffs to nods from some of the other students.

**Use it well.**

The students turned towards the staff table as they heard two enormous groans. They saw both Snape and McGonagall with their heads in their hands before they turned towards the laughter heard from the trio.

**Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.**

Murmurs of excitement ran through the hall as the students all talked about what they would have done if they had the cloak.

**Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back - his father's cloak - he felt that this time - the first time - he wanted to use it alone.**

"I understand mate," mumbled Ron with a smile. "I probably would have felt the same thing and it's not like you never told us about it or anything."

**He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.**

**"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.**

**Where should he go?**

"The classrooms!" called a few students as they pictured being able to prank some of the classes.

"The Quidditch pitch!" roared some of the fanatics who thought a moonlight flight sounded like a very good idea.

"The kitchens!" called the twins with Ron giving a big grin at this idea.

"The library!" called the Ravenclaws and Hermione with dreamy looks on their faces. Imagine all the books they could read!

Harry just shook his head in amusement before turning back to the book.

**He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library.**

"What!" squawked the majority of the students as the Ravenclaws cheered. The twins turned to Harry with looks of betrayal as they heard this.

**He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was.**

"Oh…" grumbled the students as they figured that this was an acceptable answer for using the cloak to go to the library.

**He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked.**

**The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.**

"You mean kind of like a head that doesn't seem to be attached to a body Potter?" smirked Draco from his seat.

"You saw a floating head," questioned Harry with innocent surprise. "I don't know Draco. You might want to get that checked out. It seems you might have been cursed to see weird things."

Draco just smirked at him in return as Ron tried to keep his laughter quiet.

The rest of the students weren't paying attention as they pictured seeing single body parts floating in midair and how freaked out they would have been if they saw it in real life. 

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.**

**They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all.**

"Huh," mumbled some of the younger students. "That seems weird!"

**One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.**

A few of the younger students paled at this. They didn't want to read a book covered in blood!

**The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.**

The professors exchanged glances. Harry shouldn't be able to detect the alarms that were on the Restricted Section. They would need to talk to him later to find out what else he could sense. 

**He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open.**

"Did you find out who he was?" called several people in excitement.

"No." said Harry with a grimace on his face.

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence - the book was screaming!**

"What?" called several of the students.

"That's not fair," said one of the younger Ravenclaws. "If you manage to make it into the Restricted Section at night, the books shouldn't be able to give you away like that!"

The trio, along with several others, nodded their heads in agreement. The teachers, on the other hand, just looked stern and unforgiving. They books had alarms on them for just this reason and it was going to stay that way!

**Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once. **

"Bloody hell," shouted Seamus. "Be careful Harry!"

**Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside - stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.**

"Yes!" exclaimed most of the students. They were really into the book and felt like they were right there next to him.

**He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.**

"What you need to do…" started Fred.

"Is find a familiar place…" said George.

"Like a classroom…" said Fred with a nod.

"Or a painting…" said George with a thoughtful look.

"And make your way…" said Fred with a smile.

"From there to the tower." finished George as the twins grinned at him.

**"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section." Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section. Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

"Bloody hell, it's Snape," called the twins. "Get out of there!" There were shouts of agreement from the students in the hall. Harry was about to be caught! And by Snape of all people!

Meanwhile, Snape was attempting to keep himself from strangling Dumbledore. Potter was right there the entire time! If Dumbledore hadn't given him that stupid invisibility cloak he would have caught him! Granted, it would not have turned out well with how his attitude towards Potter used to be but still…

McGonagall reached over and patted Snape's arm in condolence. She knew how frustrating it was trying to keep the trio out of trouble and to find out that he was right there the entire time was annoying. She turned to glare at Dumbledore one more time for him giving Harry that cloak.

**Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him - the cloak didn't stop him from being solid.**

The students all held their breath. The older years didn't remember any major points being taken off at the time but that didn't mean that Harry hadn't been caught.

"Well at least Mr. Potter seemed to realize that immediately," snorted McGonagall. "It took his dad and his friends being caught when they forgot that just because they may be invisible doesn't mean that someone cannot run into them."

Harry and his friends couldn't help but snicker at the Marauders doing something so stupid. He also happened to glance up and see Snape with a smirk on his face and amusement in his eyes.

**He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything.**

Sighs of relief could be heard from the other students in the hall. He had escaped from Snape and Filch!

"Because he was way too skinny for someone his age!" Madame Pomfrey muttered angrily under her breath to Professor Sprout, who nodded in agreement with a frown on her face.

**They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in.**

"Constant Vigilance!" whispered Hermione as she poked Harry in the side with a grin.

Harry merely winced in return. He knew what was coming up and was dreading the reactions (namely the pitying looks) that he was probably going to receive. Thank Merlin Sirius and Remus weren't here!

Hermione exchanged worried glances with Ron before Ron seemed to have a breakthrough. He sent a commiserating glance at Harry before mouthing to Hermione 'his parents'. They both flinched and scooted closer to Harry in preparation for what was coming.

**It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket - but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

The students were sending each other questioning glances, wondering what Harry had run into now and whether it would be dangerous or not.

Hermione and Ron were getting worried as Harry seemed to be shrinking further and further into himself. They both wrapped an arm around him and tried to comfort him but it didn't do any good.

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet.**

"A mirror," drawled one of the seventh year Slytherins. "Really?"

The other students exchanged confused glances in return.

**There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. **

Many people could be seen muttering to themselves and their friends as they tried to figure out what in the world that meant. The Ravenclaws had pulled out pieces of parchment and were scribbling all over it.

"Harry," called one of the first year Gryffindors. "Is that in another language?"

Harry didn't respond so Ron did it for him. "No, it's English."

**His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. He stepped in front of it.**

"And saw…" shouted Fred with a grin.

"Himself naked!" finished George to laughter from the great hall.

The only ones not laughing were the trio and Professor Dumbledore whose twinkle had dimmed almost to non-existence as he looked at Harry.

**He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming.**

The laughter cut off abruptly. What in the world would cause Harry to scream? He was the calmest person in the face of danger!

**He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed - for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.**

"Huh?" seemed to be the consensus from all the students.

"Maybe the ghosts came in behind him?" asked Susan Bones in confusion.

**But the room was empty.**

"Okay," muttered one of the third year Ravenclaws. "Ghosts can't disappear that fast so what is going on?"

**Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror.**

**There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others.**

The majority of the students finally seemed to have noticed the way that Harry was acting and how Hermione and Ron were practically engulfing the shaking teen between them. They all got quiet as they sensed something important was going on.

**Harry looked over his shoulder - but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

"That's a good theory," mused the twins with worried looks at their little brothers.

"But with Harry's senses being what they were," mumbled Katie Bell with a nervous look towards Harry. "I doubt they would have been able to sneak up on him without Harry realizing they were there."

There were nods of agreement around the hall and the students got even more nervous as a result.

**He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving.**

"Smiling and waving," muttered a Slytherin. "That doesn't sound scary though."

Everybody else just looked confused.

**He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air - she and the others existed only in the mirror.**

"Um," called on of the first year Hufflepuffs. "I am confused. How can someone exist only in a mirror? Wouldn't the mirror need to actually be reflecting someone that is standing there?"

"Unfortunately," sighed Professor Dumbledore with a sad shake of his head. "That is not always the case. Mirrors do not necessarily need to reflect an actual physical person, they sometimes reflect other things. The only thing mirrors _need_ to reflect is the truth."

**She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes - her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass.**

Snape paled drastically and shot a glance at Potter who never noticed. He couldn't believe that he would be hearing about Lily. _'Oh Lily…'_

Some of the older students realized what was happening and gasped in dismay.

**Bright green - exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.**

"Oh no!" muttered McGonagall, almost in tears as she realized what Harry was seeing.

At this point, only the younger students were unaware of what was going on. Harry couldn't even be seen at this point as the twins had moved over to join Hermione and Ron in hugging Harry and keeping the looks from the other students from reaching him.

**Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.**

**"Mom," he whispered. "Dad?" They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees - Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.**

Silence was the only thing heard in the great hall although an occasional sniffle broke out from a few different females. Everyone was trying to picture growing up not even knowing what their parents looked like.

Hagrid was wiping tears out of his eyes, helped by a conjured handkerchief from McGonagall, who had passed them around to most of the staff and guests at the Professor's table. Even Fudge had an uncomfortable look on his face.

The only person who was not reacting was Umbridge. _'So what if the brat had never seen his troublemaking parents? If they hadn't died, he probably would have grown up into even more of a liar!'_ she thought with a sneer.

It took a few minutes but eventually Professor Flitwick managed to calm down enough to keep reading.

**The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.**

No one in the great hall (excluding Umbridge) knew what to say to Harry. His friends had all gathered around him and were hugging him in comfort knowing that anything they said would merely be platitudes.

**How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.**

"I don't know if that is such a good idea!" called Hannah Abbot in a worried voice to vigorous nods from several others.

**"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.**

"I understand now why you didn't though." mumbled Ron to Harry.

**"You can come tonight, I'm going back, and I want to show you the mirror."**

**"I'd like to see your mom and dad," Ron said eagerly.**

**"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone."**

**"You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. **

"Ron," groaned Ginny in frustration. "Sometimes you are so completely tactless!"

"Well it's not like I knew he had never seen them before," grumbled Ron. "I thought it would be like he had found another portrait or something."

"It's okay Ron," said Harry quietly. "I knew what you meant."

**Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"**

"And that should have been an indication right there," huffed Hermione in annoyance. "You never eat when something is wrong or bothering you."

Professor McGonagall perked up. Maybe this would be a way to judge when Harry was involved in something. _'Although I will have to send him to Madame Pomfrey to make sure he makes up for it; can't have him wasting away because he is worried about everything.'_

**Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?**

Quite a few people winced at this. They knew that if Harry's curiosity was being drowned out by this mirror than it needed to be gotten rid of immediately.

Even Snape, who still didn't like the fact that Potter thought it had been him trying to steal the stone, knew that the mirror was bad news if it was affecting Potter like that.

**"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd."**

"Well," grumbled Ginny. "At least you noticed that much!"

Harry actually managed a small smile at this and the rest of his friends exchanged relieved glances.

**What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.**

"Of course you're going to get lost if Harry is navigating!" said the twins with weak grins.

"Oi!" Harry protested weakly. It looked like he was starting to recover from the memories of that mirror.

**"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."**

**"No!" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere." They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armor.**

"Of course he managed to find his way back!" said Snape in a sarcastic tone. McGonagall shot him a look but could see the worry hidden in his eyes.

**"It's here - just here - yes!" They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror.**

**There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.**

Harry gave a shuddering sigh but managed to straighten up from his friends' arms a little.

The rest of the students in the hall looked less nervous at seeing this.

**"See?" Harry whispered.**

**"I can't see anything."**

**"Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them..."**

"That is not the way the mirror works." commented Dumbledore with a sad look towards the two boys.

A few students were seen mumbling to themselves as they tried to figure out what was going on.

**"I can only see you." **

**"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.**

Ron flushed at the mention of his pajamas but relaxed when he noticed that no one had said anything about them being too worried about what else was going on.

**Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.**

**"Look at me!" he said.**

**"Can you see all your family standing around you?"**

**"No - I'm alone - but I'm different - I look older - and I'm head boy!"**

"What?" came the confused question from the majority of the students.

"Ron," said the twins in scandalized voices. "How could you?"

Ron once again flushed red and mumbled under his breath. Harry heard him saying "Evil books!" and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

**"What?" **

**"I am - I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to - and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup - I'm Quidditch captain, too.**

"Well okay," said the twins with shaky grins. "That's not so bad!"

There were some feeble grins at this but most were just trying to figure out what was going on with this mirror.

**Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry. "Do you think this mirror shows the future?"**

Ginny groaned and lightly smacked Ron on the arm for his tactlessness.

**"How can it? All my family are dead - let me have another look -"**

**"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time." **

**"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that. I want to see my parents." **

**"Don't push me -" **

"Oh no," said Ernie Macmillan. "They're starting to fight each other to get to the mirror! That can't be good!"

Harry and Ron both shrunk in their seats and tried to ignore the looks sent their way.

**A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion.**

"Good," called Professor Sprout. "Get away from that thing!"

**They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.**

**"Quick!" Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door.**

"It's Filch!" cried a third year Ravenclaw.

"Run!" yelled several students.

**Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing - did the cloak work on cats? **

"While she may not be able to see you," called Professor McGonagall with a stern look. "She can smell you and sense you are there."

**After what seemed an age, she turned and left.**

**"This isn't safe - she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on." And Ron pulled Harry out of the room.**

"Good job Ron," said the twins. "Get you and Harry away from that thing!"

**The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.**

**"Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.**

**"No."**

**"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?" **

**"No... you go..."**

"Oh no," mumbled McGonagall. "He's already enthralled with it!"

**"I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight." **

**"Why not?" **

**"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it - and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"**

"Sound advice Weasley!" called Daphne Greengrass with a nod in his direction.

"I wonder why Ron isn't as enamored with the mirror as Harry seems to be?" questioned Alicia Spinnet in a confused voice.

"I had already seen what the mirror showed me several times before so it was nothing new to me," explained Ron with a shrug as he tried not to give away any secrets. "Whereas Harry had never seen his parents before and so was caught immediately."

**"You sound like Hermione."**

"And what is that supposed to mean exactly?" exclaimed Hermione with an annoyed look on her face that was directed at Harry.

"Well," said Harry as he struggled to explain without angering his friend. "Ron is usually the one that is always ready to go with me immediately while you like to question everything to make sure it is safe."

Hermione huffed but dropped the subject and turned away.

"Nice save!" mouthed Ron with a grin behind her back.

**"I'm serious, Harry, don't go." But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him.**

The students in the hall groaned.

"I should have known when you dropped the subject!" grumbled Ron as he glared half-heartedly at his friend's sheepish expression.

**That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.**

"Potter is not that lucky!" called Draco with a nervous look.

That just made the students even more nervous as they turned to look at Harry to make sure he was alright.

**And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all.**

"And," called the twins with relieved grins. "Cue a professor!"

**Except - "So - back again, Harry." Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore.**

"How did you know he was visiting that mirror Professor?" asked one of the Ravenclaws.

"I had come into to study it after Harry left that first night," explained Dumbledore with a sad grin. "I noticed signs that someone had been there and so I set a proximity ward to alert me if anyone came to see it. It went off the next night and I saw Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. I decided to wait around this night to make sure that neither of them came back. I didn't want them to become enthralled with it."

**Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.**

**"I didn't see you, sir."**

**"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.**

"Thank Merlin," called a Gryffindor in relief. "He's not going to punish you!"

**"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."**

"The Mirror of what?" asked the students in confusion.

**"I didn't know it was called that, Sir." **

**"But I expect you've realized by now what it does." **

**"It - well - it shows me my family -" **

**"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."**

"Yeah," said Neville with a frown on his face. "I still don't get that."

"It is as I said before," said Dumbledore. "Mirrors only _need_ to show the truth not necessarily what is physically in front of them."

**"How did you know?"**

**"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently.**

**"Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?" Harry shook his head.**

The students in the hall joined him in shaking his head no. They had no idea what was going on with this mirror.

**"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror; that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"**

Realization dawned on a few of the older students and the visitors but the majority were still in the dark.

**Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."**

"Oh!" came the response from both students.

**"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. **

"I researched the mirror later on," said Harry with a wince. "You remember the inscription and how it seemed like it was gibberish?" The students nodded their heads. "If you write it out on paper, hold it up to a mirror, and then reassign the spaces in the sentence it will spell out 'I show not your face but your heart's desire.'"

The students all paled and winced as they thought about this. They wondered what their heart's desire would be.

"So Weasley," called Blaise with a thoughtful look on his face. "That's what you meant when you said that you were aware of your desire at the time and had already become used to it while Harry's was a complete shock? That's why the mirror didn't catch you like it did him?"

Ron nodded his head in agreement.

**You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. **

Ron flushed and sunk in his seat.

The rest of the Weasleys exchanged looks saying they were going to have to talk later on about this. They also needed to tell their parents. If Ron was used to this then it had obviously been something he had been aware of for quite some time and therefore thinking and probably daydreaming about.

**However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."**

"That mirror is dangerous!" called Terry Boot with a shudder as the students nodded their heads fervently in agreement.

**"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.**

"That's really good advice Professor!" called Tonks in a shaky voice.

A few people were seen thinking it over as they pictured getting so caught up in a dream that they ignore everything else in life.

**Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed." Harry stood up.**

**"Sir - Professor Dumbledore. Can I ask you something?"**

"You just did Harry." called Luna in her dreamy voice.

"I know Luna," said Harry with a kind smile. "But I didn't think of it at the time."

**"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however." **

**"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

"Mr. Potter," exclaimed Professor McGonagall in shock. "That is way too personal of a question!"

Harry winced and looked at Dumbledore before saying "Sorry Professor!"

**"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." Harry stared.**

The rest of the student body joined him.

Dumbledore sat there and twinkled at them in response.

**"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

"Well," snickered Ron under his breath to Harry. "At least now we know that we can get both Professor Dumbledore and Dobby the same thing and they will be happy."

Harry and Hermione joined him in snickering at the mental image of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, one of the greatest wizards of their time, wanting the same Christmas present as a house elf.

**It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.**

"And that's the end of the chapter!" called Professor Flitwick without his usual happy voice. They were still too emotional over the whole mirror thing to be happy.

The students started to converse quietly over the mirror and what they thought that they themselves might have seen in it.

After a few minutes to allow everybody to calm down, Professor Dumbledore called out "Who would like to read next?"

"I would Professor!" called Hannah Abbot.

Professor Dumbledore smiled at her and floated the book over to her to begin reading.

She accepted the book and opened it to the next chapter before beginning. "The title of the next chapter is called '**NICOLAS FLAMEL.**'"

"Stupid chocolate frog card!" muttered Ron angrily under his breath to amused glances from Harry and Hermione.


End file.
